Longtime motorcycle safety advocate Bob Letourneau recognized

WEIRS BEACH — Bob Letourneau has been a part of the motorcycling community for over 50 years. He was honored Monday evening at The Looney Bin for his longtime commitment to road safety as part of the Check Twice movement.

Letourneau is a member of The New Hampshire Motorcyclists’ Rights Organization, a former state representative from 1996 to 2004, then senator 2004-10, who fought for motorcycle rights and worked at the state Department of Transportation under Gov. Chris Sununu and also with the Motorcycle Riders Foundation. Through his time in the industry, Letourneau has seen progress.

“Back in the '60s, if you were on a motorcycle, you were dirt. And I remember riding motorcycles, I got hit by a car, and the cop said, ‘Well, you shouldn't have been there,’” Letourneau said. “Think about that. [That’s] not going to happen anymore. We made a lot of progress.”

Paul Coté of Check Twice also honored Letourneau’s wife, Anne-Marie, for supporting him throughout their 63-year marriage.

Check Twice promotes motorcycle safety through the slogan “Check twice — save a life" on everything from bumper stickers, ribbon and pins, to sunglasses and other accessories.

Data suggests the movement is effective. According to the NH Department of Safety Division of Motor Vehicles, motorcycle fatalities dropped to 33 in 2024, from 40 in 2023, despite the fact motor vehicle fatalities on the whole increased from 127 people in 2023, to 135 people in 2024. As of June 17, just eight motorcycle operator fatalities have been reported in 2025, compared to 10 from the same period last year, a 20% decrease. There are also no reports yet of passenger deaths this year, compared with one passenger fatality recorded in 2024 for the same time period.

Vince Silvia, a member of NHMRO, said while the decrease in fatalities is good news, there is still some bad.

“We've been analyzing the data from the accidents, and we're killing ourselves. We're doing it to ourselves,” Silvia said. “Three things that kill us: riding beyond your ability, riding impaired, and speeding. Those are the three main causes of death in accidents in New Hampshire.”

Participants observed a moment of silence for riders who died, with organizers encouraging those who lost someone to speak their name aloud. Singer Cherie Healey and guitarist and vocalist Eric Egertson of the band Full Clip performed "Amazing Grace" to honor them as well.

Check Twice aims to prevent unnecessary collisions between motorcycles and other vehicles.

“People have a tendency to look for a truck or a car, and a motorcycle has a tendency to blend in with that background. That blinds people,” Coté said.

Silvia said there was an important development in the Legislature last year, a bill passed preventing profiling of motorcyclists.

“In the last year, we got a profiling bill passed in the state of New Hampshire,” he said. “We're one of six states in the nation that is no longer lawful to profile you for wearing leather or riding a motorcycle.”