7 Comments

• #1 by Joe C on December 10th, 2009

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  DETROIT, Aug. 22 — The rate of deaths in highway accidents rose in 2005 for the first time in almost 20 years as a result of an increase in accidents involving motorcycles and pedestrians, the federal government said Tuesday.

  The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said 43,443 people were killed in roadway accidents last year, up 1.4 percent from 42,836 in 2004. It was the highest number of people killed since 1990.

  The statistics translated to 1.47 people killed per 100 million miles traveled, versus 1.45 per 100 million miles in 2004.

  That basically

  well, you have more chance of crashing on a moterbike than in a car.
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• #2 by maddog on December 10th, 2009

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  worldwide ?
  every minute of every day
  24/7/365
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• #3 by quasar on December 10th, 2009

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  what is the death rate caused by motorcycle accidents? not a lot most death’s are caused by car drivers (ie) car + bike accidents,
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• #4 by tmonroe85 on December 10th, 2009

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  According to the NHTSA, you are about 17 times more likely to die per mile traveled on a motorcycle vs. a passenger vehicle (see 1st link below).

  There are some mitigating factors to consider however. In 2005 in Washington State, a motorcycle safety task force found that 86% of rider fatalities in Washington State had not attended the state’s motorcycle training. 1/3 of riders killed were not endorsed, and approximately 60% of riders that were killed were legally intoxicated (stats referenced in 2nd link – its a PDF file, so you’ll need adobe reader to access the report).

  Another issue I have with NHTSA stats is that the NHTSA says the average motorcyclist rides approximately 1900 miles per year (vs the average motorist who drives between 10,000 and 12,000 miles per year). I believe that they may be mistaken on the average mileage per motorcyclist, in which case, the death rate per mile would be wrong per mile as well. I can tell you though that a lot of the riders I know use a bike as their primary transportation, so if the 1900 mile average is true, there must be a lot of riders who only ride a few hundred miles per year (to get to the low mileage average). From my personal experience, I would expect riders who ride only a few hundred miles per year are probably far more likely to be involved in an accident, since riding requires much more skill than driving, and being off the bike for a long period of time tends to make people "rusty".

  Helmet usage is also important to consider. I have read that about 60% of unhelmeted riders who die in crashes would not have died had they have been wearing a helmet.

  The bottom line of what I am saying is that your personal choices can have a big influence on how safe or dangerous riding is. I personally believe that a well-trained rider who regularly works to improve his or her skills, and who regularly attends riding classes and workshops, never drinks and rides and always wears appropriate riding gear is probably statistically safer than the average car driver (who usually does nothing to improve his or her skills).
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  http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/injury/pedbimot/motorcycle/motorcycle03/recent.htm
  http://www.dol.wa.gov/about/reports/mototaskforce.pdf

• #5 by bikernoj on December 10th, 2009

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  As often as they ride without training or proper protective gear. Joe C is wrong about motorcycles being more likely to crash, but your chances of being hurt in a motorcycle crash are greater than if you were surrounded by metal.

  Just never forget that a motorcycle is an inanimate object, without feelings or emotions, and simply responds to rider input. They are NOT inherently dangerous.

  Besides, the best piece of protective gear, no matter what your mode of transportation, is sitting right between your ears!
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• #6 by BitterOldBastard!!!!! on December 10th, 2009

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  tons
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• #7 by Honda4life on December 10th, 2009

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  very very very often
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