KANSAS CITY, Mo. — May is Motorcycle Safety Awareness month, and Kansas City, Missouri, Police are urging drivers to slow down after one of their own was hit.
KCPD Officer Michael Livers has been with the KCPD Traffic Enforcement for two years, with 11 years in the field before that.
He's been riding motorcycles for years and uses several pieces of gear to ensure his safety when he's on the road.
The lineup includes a new helmet, which he's sporting after a crash in March.
"It's damaged from my accident," Livers said about his old helmet. "It got kinda banged up where I landed on my head."
On St. Patrick's Day, a suspected drunk and distracted driver hit him.
"He was on his cell phone. He was going south to east, failed to yield and I ran right into him," Livers said. "I had about a split second reaction time to hit my breaks. And I hit his right rear corner, and went over the bike and flew for awhile, and landed on my head."
In 2017, KCPD said 13 percent of all traffic deaths involved a motorcycle in Missouri. Crashes killed 115 motorcyclists that year.
"It's common for drivers not to see a bike, especially at night," Livers said. "Try to be aware of your surroundings and try to avoid coming in contact with a motorcycle. The vehicle's heavy and it's going to get someone hurt."
Livers' wreck caused some bruises and back and neck pain, but only kept him down for two days.
"I just try to be a safer rider when I'm out," Livers said. "Checking the intersections a little bit more before I make a turn or change lanes. I'm noticing the other cars more. I'll try to watch what they're doing more than I have in the past."
Livers said he is just thankful to be able to share his story.
"To be able to walk away from a motorcycle into a vehicle at 40 miles per hour, I think somebody upstairs was looking out for me," he said.
When on the road, Livers advised to allow enough distance between you and motorcyclists. He said brakes aren't always used when motorcyclists are slowing down.
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