Taylorsville » Bikers and state troopers have mixed feelings heading into the heart of Utah's riding season, when they're hoping a revamped education campaign will cut casualties.

The good news: The state's per-rider death rate was way down last year, after a couple of years when high gas prices and many new riders were thought to have contributed to accidents.

The bad news: The grim count started earlier this year, with three dead even before the summer season starts.

"We're thankful for the surroundings we have and the scenery we enjoy, but we can only do that successfully if we're safe," Utah Highway Patrol Col. Daniel Fuhr told bikers Tuesday at a rally outside Department of Public Safety offices here. He was helping dedicate May as Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month, and unveiling new "Drive aware ... Ride aware" public service announcement slogans including: "Cars have bumpers. Bikers have bones."

The rate and actual number of motorcycle deaths in Utah, having spiked in 2007 and 2008, dropped last year despite a continued increase in motorcycle registrations, according to the state. Thirty bikers died last year, or 3.83 per 10,000 registered bikes. The numbers in 2008 were 36 deaths, or 5.59 per 10,000 bikes.

At the same time, Utah bike registrations increased last year from 64,376 to 78,302 -- a fact that helped drive the death rate down and also suggested novice riders were no longer dying at the same rates of recent years.

Nationally, according to the Governors Highway Safety Association, motorcycle deaths declined 10 percent to about 4,800 in 2009. That compares to a 16.7 percent decrease in Utah.

Fuhr believes that's partly because of increased public education campaigns. Lowell Finney, president of the Salt Lake chapter of the motorcycle safety group ABATE, agrees. Part of the solution is public spending, he said, including $200,000 that Utah spends on its ad and billboard runs. But part also comes from instruction, including his group's volunteers who spend a day teaching high schoolers about motorcycle safety.

One major continuing problem is the cell phone, Finney said. Last weekend, a friend of his suffered a broken leg caused by a motorist who turned in front of him on State Street while talking on the phone, he said.

"She didn't even see him," Finney said. He favors legislation to restrict cell phone use in cars. Utah has banned text-messaging while driving, but during the last legislative session an effort to restrict teen drivers' phone use failed.

Weather could have been a factor in last year's dip in fatal crashes, said Derek Miller, Utah's motorcycle safety project manager. Utah had a wet spring in 2009 and didn't record a single death until June, he said.

The poor economy could help suppress crashes in 2010, Miller said, as it appears that fewer Utahns are buying and registering new bikes this year.

Officials at Tuesday's rally urged riders to wear safety gear including helmets, gloves, boots and sturdy clothing. They urged other drivers to be wary of bikes around their vehicles.

"Motorcycles have a tendency to hide in the little tiny blind spots," said rider Annie Wise, who said she broke an ankle in a crash partly because a car drifted into her lane and partly because she was wearing sneakers instead of boots.

Finney emphasized driver education.

"Helmets are wonderful," he said. "But they're not the answer."