New York state officials are asking drivers to keep their eyes peeled for motorcycles this fall.
Speaking near the Adirondack Northway in Clifton Park, state Department of Motor Vehicles Commissioner Mark Schroeder says riding season isn't over, and that New York is seeing high fatality rates among motorcyclists.
“Preliminary numbers from the Institute for Traffic Safety, Management, and Research show we've had 66 motorcycle crash fatalities so far this year in New York. One of those crashes happened last month and just up the Northway from here, Brock Pynes,” Schroeder said.
19-year-old Pynes was struck and killed in August on I-87 near Exit 29.
Pynes' brother-in-law Kelsey Bevins says tragedy strikes when people least expect it.
“It can happen to anyone; I think at a young age, I’m only 23, you still go through life believing that you’re invincible,” Bevins said.
Brandi Behling is program manager with the New York state Motorcycle Safety Program. She urges would-be riders to take care.
“Never ride under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Not only is riding impaired against the law, it could kill you. Always ride within your skill limits. Your friends will wait. There's never a need to ride faster than your skills allow; be a lifelong learner,” Behling said.
Bevins says he wishes he’d told Brock how much he admired him before Pynes died.
“He was a good kid. He was one of the hardest workers when he when he got to it. And I commend him for that. I mean, he had a drive that I'd never seen before, and when he put his mind to something, it was getting done,” Bevins said.
Evelyn Bevins is Kelsey’s wife and Brock’s older sister.
“We only had each other. He's my only little brother. I am the eldest. It's just been us two. So I wish, I wish I would have said things like that more out loud to him. I wish I'd have hugged him more,” Bevins said.
As a motorcyclist himself, Bevins says he found it hard to get back on a bike at first.
“I was ready to sell mine the day of. And you look back and you say, ‘Well, that was something he really loved to do.’ I'm not going to look back and say, ‘Well, I stopped riding because Brock's not here because of it. I'm going to keep riding because that's what Brock loved to do,’” Bevins said.
