Tulsa Police Report Increase In Fatal Motorcycle Crashes, Claim Stunt Riders Are Part Of The Blame

Tulsa Police say they are seeing more people dying in motorcycle crashes. They say motorcycle crashes are increasing because more people are riding in the nice weather, but also because of stunt riders.

Lieutenant Stephen Florea heads up a traffic unit in Tulsa and says his officers are seeing motorcyclists doing stunt riding and videotaping each other at high speeds.

"People want to get out on a nice day like this and go ride, and that's the thrill of being on a motorcycle—you’re out in the open," said Lt. Florea.

He says more motorcyclists on the road lead to more accidents, but TPD says another problem is stunt riders.

"They’ll usually have someone in a vehicle or another motorcycle that’s filming them, and they like to post that stuff to social media for likes and kicks, but it’s just not worth it," said Lt. Florea.

He says the TPD's traffic units run into these groups driving recklessly, and they’ve caught a few of them, but that's not always the case.

"Often they’ll take off running from us, which further endangers the motorcyclist, the motoring public, and the police officer that has to try and catch them," said Lt. Florea. "There’s just no point in that."

Lt. Florea says stunt riding is also distracting and frustrating for other drivers, and he wants to remind people to stay in their lanes and call 911 when stunt groups are speeding down the street.

"Number one, don’t take matters into your own hands, don’t try to cut them off or cause a collision because now you’re going to put yourself in a much more serious situation with us, especially if someone gets hurt or killed," said Lt. Florea. "Just try to steer as clear from them as you can."

He says another issue that can lead to crashes is road rage.

"When you intentionally move your car to try and hit a motorcyclist, that’s much more serious—that’s an assault with a deadly weapon," said Lt. Florea.

In Oklahoma, the law doesn’t require motorcyclists to wear a helmet, but Lt. Florea encourages riders to wear one, saying it’s the same as wearing a seatbelt—it could save your life.