(Photo by Lauren Gilger - KJZZ)

Michael Infanzon is a lobbyist for ABATE of Arizona, a group that advocates for motorcyclists’ rights at the state Legislature.

Arizona is a great state for motorcycles. The winding mountain roads, the desert landscapes. Riding is where Michael Infanzon says he feels the most free.

But riding motorcycles is still a dangerous pastime. Infazon is a lobbyist for ABATE of Arizona, a group that advocates for motorcyclists’ rights at the state Legislature. And he knows when he gets on his bike, he’s at risk.

Fatalities on motorcycles in our state, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation, remained high in 2016. One hundred forty-four people died on motorcycles last year; four years earlier, in 2012, 139 people died.

And there are many reasons for that, according to Infanzon, but, he believes, one of the biggest is more and more distracted drivers. I met him at Buddy Stubbs Harley-Davidson dealership in north Phoenix to talk more about this issue and how he thinks riding can become safer in Arizona.