Nate Hudson is hoping to spread awareness of motorcycle safety, as he rides through each state this summer.
Hudson, who stopped Friday in front of the Capitol, has been sponsored by Allstate Insurance Company to drive through each state, advocating for driver education to include more information on the importance of sharing the road with motorcycle riders.
Jefferson City was Hudson's 17th stop. He began May 12 and is scheduled to finish the 17,000-mile trip in August. Hudson's final stop will be in Sturgis, South Dakota, just in time for the 75th annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in early August, which he said he's really excited for.
As part of the "Ride for Awareness," Hudson stops at the Department of Motor Vehicles in each state to bring a packet of information compiled by Allstate specific to that state.
"We're urging them to add a question to their car drivers' test, basically bringing the safety awareness to motorcyclists," Hudson said.
An example Hudson provided from the Missouri packet was, "What is the main cause of crashes that occur between cars and motorcycles at intersections?" The answer, Hudson said, is the car turns left in front of the motorcyclist, impeding the motorcyclist's right-of-way.
Hudson said the specific questions change for each state, as some states have more motorcycle-specific information incorporated into driver education already.
According to a press release from Allstate, three motorcyclists are killed in multi-vehicle crashes at intersections each day, a statistic Hudson said blew him away.
"No one is trying to hit a motorcyclist," Hudson said. "The problem is we're so small to someone who's driving a car, not really aware of what's going on, zoned out or having a bad day, and we've all been in the same situation. We're asking the car drivers not to look once, but look twice for us before making a left (turn), or switching lanes."
Hudson said being a motorcycle rider for 20 years has taught him best practices from experience, but many new riders may not be as careful on a motorcycle as those who have learned from experience.
"Never assume the car sees you," Hudson said. "There's a lot of new riders out there that are used to driving a car."
Hudson said he was approached by Allstate for the national tour and jumped on the chance to travel to each state while enjoying a lot of riding.
"Who wouldn't want to go across all 50 states on a motorcycle," Hudson asked with a laugh.
Hudson, a native of Long Beach, California, said his interest in motorcycles came from his father, who has always been a motorcycle enthusiast. He noted he actually will be heading back to Long Beach for one night this weekend to visit his father, who recently suffered a stroke, before getting back on the road to continue his tour.
From Jefferson City, Hudson was set to head to Little Rock, Arkansas, to continue his tour, which he also is documenting on social media. Anyone interested in following Hudson on Instagram should look for @BA_Moto.