[48152]

Reason #1 on my list that will keep me from that event...

 

[goodtime]

This will sound cold, but that many bikes, plus an abundance of alcohol, someone is gonna die. I don't know any of the accident details, but I'll bet there were a few "Ya'll watch this" spoken. Rest in peace brothers.

 

[32695]

I wonder if this is the synergy of good weather and the repealed helmet law in Florida? What a shame...

 

[ofreen]

That's too bad and I wish people would be more careful. It is also too bad, because some people are going to feel compelled to draw conclusions from this and then 'take action.'

 

[28086]

I saw one of the dead bikers on Sat. After the 200 on Sat. I was heading South unto I-95. This harley rider died on the on-ramp to I-95 just a couple of miles from the Speedway. It appears he lost control of his bike and slammed into the guard rail. His body was still on the side of the road. They did have him covered with a sheet, and I dont know the details, but you really cant go more than 20-30 mph on that ramp, and I did not see evidence of another vehicle involved, so its a mystery to me how he died.

 

[Fenton]

First, any death is a terrible loss to family and friends. RIP



Second, I'm missing the "sunny skies and good weather" at the cause/increase.

That's like blaming skiing accidents on the snow. I'm sure skill, alcohol, weed, helmet laws, bravado, stupidity and bad luck may have contributed to a number of the fatalities.



Again, there is no disrespect for the fallen, just the report.

 

[dmorga1]

Um. . .problem with your logic there. While I don't dispute that alcohol, stupidity, and so forth play a large role in these tragedies, citing the nice weather as a contributory cause is hardly like "blaming skiing accidents on the snow." One needs snow to ski. One does not need sunny skies and good weather to have bike week. Think about it. Nice weather brings more people, more people will ride, and there will be a higher frequency of accidents. Good weather doesn't contribute to the accidents themselves; it contributes to the higher rate.

 

[Fenton]

No logic problem.

Agreed and understood. The article clearly stated "blamed" not contributed.

BTW, unless you have the total # of bikes in attendence you can't tell me the rate is higher than in 2000.

My reaction was to the "FHP blaming sunny skies......" That is BS back page crap reporting that does nothing to inform a reader.

 

[djb3980]

The only reason this is getting any more press than usual, other than the number of deaths, is that it involves motorcylces. If something like this happened at some sort of autos only gathering it would be chalked up to human error and be a back page story. But in this case all it will do is bring about more of the usual motorcycle strereotypes about all of us riders acting like hooligans and menaces on the road, it just sucks!



Unrelated: Did anybody notice that they spelled the word 'sunny' wrong? They spelled it 's-u-n-n-i-e'... last I checked the weather channel still spelled it with a 'y'



DJ

 

[55552]

It's the helmet law, or lack thereof, stupids. These freedom-loving Harley freaks—as well as all those flip-flop and short pants wearing helmetless hooligans—are gonna ruin it for all of us. I consider my helmet a part of the bike. You know, like how most cars come with a roof? Remember Corvairs? If the Ralph Naders of the world ever get ahold of street bikes, it's curtains, lads and lasses. Get a clue: keep your lid on. Freedom's just another word for a busted freakin' skull.

 

[ofreen]

Yeah, like helmet laws are going to keep the 'do-gooders' off our backs. They will go after motorcycles when they decide it is good politics, and it will get their names in the funny papers. Wearing helmets does not make riding motorcycles safe. It is still hazardous compared to knitting, bird watching or watching reality TV shows, therefore unacceptable to those do-gooders you are worried about.

 

[longride]

Anybody think the safest Daytona ever made headlines??

 

[rsk173]

just like to say

glad to not be reading the calus posts that were on here last time a biker died.

 

[52944]

I thought bad weather caused accidents... now good weather does too?? I'm confused.

 

[schizuki]

Re: just like to say

If there were details as to anyone killing themselves while doing something with reckless disregard for the safety and property of others, you would.

 

[48454]

18 deaths for "tens of thousands of atendees" as bad as this may seem, I'll bet it is only marginaly higher than the regular fatal motorcycle accident rate. add in a smidge of the usual crap involved with a week long party, booze, drugs, and showing off, plus the exponential increase in motorcycle trafic, and I could not be less suprised.

 

[50268]

I just got home from Bike Week and I couldn't agree more. Combine alcohol, no helmets, and a few hundred thousand motorcycles and they average about 10 deaths a year during the week? That's pretty good.

 

[rmdower]

"The FHP is blaming sunnie skies and good weather for the increase in deaths."

It's a good thing I moved from sunny SoCal to Portland, OR before the warm, blue skies killed me.

 

[obandoj]

No skills, no helmets, no brains, too much booze, too much bravado, been there, seen it all...

 

[17416]

Re: Bike Week Deaths and weather.

When I went to Daytona in 2001, there was rain and cold, or at least so it seemed to the crowd there. Of course, after getting down to Houston, TX from Colorado and heading east on I-10 it all seemed pretty balmy.

The bad part was that the nekkid ladies seemed to prefer blouses and slacks, not bikinis under the leather chaps. I guess it was good for survival, but not so good for a spectator like me. Oh well, I guess that bluish skin and goose bumps wouldn't have been all that nice to look at..

I have to wonder what the accident count was; I saw a couple headlines reporting individual deaths, but no report of total count.