The roar of motorcycles next weekend in Otsego County and a full day of events at the Oneonta Veterans Club is designed to help draw attention to traffic safety.
"Jason's Run" is being held Saturday to raise money for motorcycle safety awareness signs, bumper stickers and educational programming, said organizer Karen Vagliardo of Oneonta on Sunday.
The event is named in honor of her son, Jason M. Vagliardo, who died Sept. 8, 2008, in the town of Oneonta when his motorcycle struck the passenger side of a pickup truck that had made a turn in front of him. He was one of six motorcyclists from Chenango, Delaware and Otsego counties who died between June and September 2008.
At least three motorcylists have died in the area this year, including Kyle Faulkner, 21, of Davenport Center, who was in a crash Sept. 19 that occurred after a motorist in a car made a left turn in front of him, according to state police.
Faulkner's death brought back memories of her own son's crash because of his age and the circumstances, Vagliardo said.
"It was an awful thing to have to go back through again because it was very similar to my son's (crash)," she said.
The event this weekend will not be just for bikers, nor is it just about motorcycle safety, Vagliardo said.
Although the signs she champions carry the slogan "Check Twice _ Save a Life. Motorcycles are everywhere," vigilant driving can help prevent crashes involving all vehicles, bicycles and pedestrians, Vagliardo said.
"It's about getting people to look twice. It's just split seconds that you take to glance a second time, and then you can stop an accident from happening," Vagliardo said.
There will be a pancake breakfast at the Oneonta Veterans Club from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. at $7 per person.
Sign-up for the motorcycle run, which will go from Oneonta to northern Otsego County and back, will take place between 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. and registration can be made with a $10 per person donation. The run will leave the Oneonta Veterans Club at 11:15 a.m. and return at about 2 p.m. for music and a meal.
"They will take a nice, touring ride around," Vagliardo said. "If the weather is inclement, the run will be shortened up."
Between 2:30 p.m. and 5 p.m., the band Reservoir Road will play and the meal will be served, Vagliardo said. People who do not wish to participate in the run can come to the Veterans Club to enjoy the afternoon events for a $10 donation.
A Chinese auction, 50/50 raffles and a lottery tree will be conducted all day, Vagliardo said.
The funding will go toward promoting better traffic-flow signs at intersections, as well as the banners promoting motorcycle awareness. It will also go toward developing educational programming, possibly for use in school districts next year, Vagliardo said.
Vagliardo said she met with the Otsego County Traffic Safety Board on Sept. 17 for the board's quarterly meeting and hopes to work with the board next year as well.
"I felt good coming out of the meeting," Vagliardo said.
The event is also sponsored by The American Legion Riders Post 259.
