The person who surprised me with the most common sense, thankfully, was the one representing those I trust the least (the govt).
Ms. Francis, from the CPSC said, "The issue is behavior, not product design, Francis said.
Let's leave it at that. Why should the promoters rethink what they are doing? Should they flatten all the jumps? Dirttrack is pretty damn dangerous too. What's more, I would bet that most of the injuries are not happening at sanctioned events, but while freeriding or practicing. What are we to do about that? Close down the riding spots and bulldoze all the jumps? That is BS. I like to jump and it's none of anyone's business that I do. I take my time learning and don't ride over my head, but you still just never know. I also like to road race and having witnessed three fatalities at DIS, I know that I am taking a calculated risk.
I actually think the article was fairly well balanced, but I take exception at people like the doctor who said, The chance "of a debilitating injury is so high, the consequences so dramatic that it's just not worth it." And then shot down his own argument with, "No one has tracked the number of spinal injuries in off-road motorcycling." While the consequences are dramatic, it doesn't sound like he knows what the chances are. And how high a chance is too high, anyway?
Nobody WANTS to be injured, but it can happen. The only way to stop motorcycle injuries is to get rid of motorcycles and that is a trade-off that I think is "just not worth it."