LONG POND - Motorcycles are more prominent than ever in Pennsylvania and across the nation. The increase in two-wheel traffic has brought a heightened awareness about safety, which has prompted the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation to create a training program known as Live Free Ride Alive.

The focus of the wide-ranging safety initiative is to reduce the number of motorcycle crashes and fatalities on Pennsylvania roads through education and interaction among riders.The project will receive additional exposure this weekend during the GoBowling.com 400 at Pocono Raceway, where there will be a booth that allows riders to access the program's interactive website designed specifically for motorcyclists.The publicity is something PennDOT spokesman Sean A. Brown hopes will draw interest among fans, many of which have a passion for bikes of all kinds."The goal is to really get out there to Pennsylvania residents and let them know we offer this free course," Brown said. "But it's not just for beginner riders; it's also meant for advanced riders."We have people that come in that have been riding for 20 years and they say they've taken this course and learned something that could potentially save their lives, and that's the goal."One of the main objectives of the site is to challenge riders to accept personal responsibility for their own safety. The website also stresses the importance of being properly licensed to operate a motorcycle and encourages the use of protective gear when riding.The interactive nature of the website is geared around videos explaining the free courses available for all riders through the Pennsylvania Motorcycle Safety Program.But users are also able to share their experiences and lessons about what they've learned about riding. Riders can take the "Be One Less" pledge, where they give their word to be "one less" crash statistic as a tribute to those who have been killed or injured in accidents.And it's those videos that Brown feels resonate the most."We have a lot of interviews featured in the videos, and these are hardened riders," he said. "They let people know that no matter how long you've been out there, you can have an incident."While the event at Pocono offers a bit more coverage for the program, it certainly isn't the only opportunity for Pennsylvania residents to get involved. And it's clear many already have."This year we'll have seven events at different places across the state," said Laura Krol, PennDOT's Acting Manager of Driver Safety. "Last year we had about 21,000 people go through the course. We have a lot of people that are interested in riding, and if they sign up this is how they get their license, by going through the course."Per PennDOT data, the number of licensed motorcyclists has grown by 13 percent since 2003 and the number of registered motorcyclists has increased by 54 percent since 2003.With that information in mind, Krol knows how critical the success of the program is moving forward."2013's stats show that crashes and fatalities were down a little, although they do seem to creep up a little bit overall each year," she said. "But increasing the awareness is key and hopefully that will benefit everyone that rides."After only one day at the track, Krol has a positive outlook on what the rest of the weekend might bring."This is a little bit of a different event compared to our regular motorcycle rallies," she said. "But so far today, we've already met a lot of really great people, signed them up for courses and talked a lot about safety."Brown was equally optimistic about their prospects."Today is obviously a little bit slower because there aren't as many people out here," Brown noted. "But come Saturday and Sunday, we really expect a lot of people. We'll be here pushing it all weekend, encouraging everyone to ride safely."For more information on the program, visit www.LiveFreeRideAlive. com