At this point there have been 60 motorcycle fatalities this riding
season in 56 crashes. That compares to 44
rider deaths at this point last year.
There were 46 motorcycle
fatalities in 2014.
2015 Rider Deaths Statistics
·
Helmet use: 37
riders killed were not wearing helmet; 16 were wearing a helmet.
o
It’s unknown if the
remaining 7 riders were wearing helmets or not.
·
33 of the crashes
were single-vehicle, involving only the motorcycle. 23 of the crashes involved
a motorcycle and another vehicle.
·
6 of the crashes
were motorcycle vs. deer.
·
8 passengers have died
in motorcycle crashes.
·
26 of the crashes
happened while motorcyclists were negotiating a curve. Only 2 of the 26
involved a second vehicle; 24 were single-vehicle crashes.
·
Rider Deaths by Age:
o
20’s: 9 riders
o
30’s: 9 riders
o
40’s: 12 riders
o
50’s: 18 riders
o
60’s: 10 riders
o
70’s: 2 riders
·
41 of the crashes
happened in a rural area. 15 happened in an urban area.
The summer months (June, July,
August) tend to be the time when there are the greater number of motorcycle
fatalities.
The record for the most motorcycle
fatalities was set in 1980, when 121 motorcyclists were killed in 112 crashes.
The data is followed by some of the usual advice such as "wear a helmet, get trained" and the ABATE party line about how drivers need to watch out for unskilled and poorly protected motorcyclists because we're too dumb to do it for ourselves.
BestMotorbikeJackets.com published "Learning How to Ride a Motorcycle," which has a few decent tips on how to avoid becoming a statistic. Couldn't hurt to take a look.
BestMotorbikeJackets.com published "Learning How to Ride a Motorcycle," which has a few decent tips on how to avoid becoming a statistic. Couldn't hurt to take a look.
Very interesting stats, Tom. I guess I'm not surprised the majority of fatalities were single vehicle and negotiating a curve. I wish toxicology was included in the stats. MSF attributes alcohol to a large part of fatalities. The helmet use vs. non-use… that's a "no brainer".
ReplyDeleteDid you note, Tom, that you're now in an age group less prone to fatality? I suppose that could be because fewer ride. I am lucky enough to be in the highest fatality age bracket. I was not expecting this. When I was younger, I was a much more careless rider. I'd like to think I've become wiser. I try to keep my wits about me and I wear the best gear I can find (some thanks to your reviews). I would have expected more folks to die young… more ride, and more ride like fools.
This is just an uninformed opinion based on observation both of traffic behavior and motorcycle "students" in MSF classes, but the young people I see on motorcycles, on average, are less foolish than I was at that age. They are more inclined to be looking for transportation rather than the fountain of youth. The old people are too often idiots who fell off of motorcycles when they were young and it took them 30 years to get up the gumption to buy a motorcycle to revive their fading self-image. They are skill-less, arrogant, lazy, and have extremely limited physical capabilities. None of that is a good sign for motorcycle safety.
ReplyDelete