[011]

Well, I just skimmed the entire report - spent about 10 minutes and I didn't see ANYTHING relating to the increased number of bikes on the road - Am I missing something or does that not factor into the stats?



I'm Disappointed. Either that or I completely didn't see it...

 

[6144]

Needless to say, over the last 3 or 4 years my local dealer has been selling almost every unit he gets his hands on. A great deal of those bikes were sold to first time riders. It's logical to think that the increase in injuries has to be attributed to the wave of interest and overall growth in the sport. I think it to be very careless to leave out this fact when stating such statistics!

 

[646]

Without equating the accident statistics to the miles travelled, makes this report not worth the paper it's printed on. It's called Statistics 101 and I hope my tax dollars did not fund this PoS. Sure does make it easy for some politician to wave these results and scream for "safer" motorcycles. Makes you wonder if that was not the intent all along.

 

[blip]

We're missing the point

As we pointed out in our last piece on NHTSA (sid=1137):

"No fatality or injury RATES (that is number of deaths/injuries per mile

ridden, a dubious number at best) have been posted because they have no

miles-ridden estimate yet. However, the fatality rate has risen in '98 and

'99 while the injury rate has decreased over the last decade. In other

words, deaths per reported crash have increased.

This report isn't about deaths per mile ridden, it's stated purpose "This report provides data for insight into possible causes for these fatalities" is just that; insight into why people are dying more frequently per accident.

That is, regardless of accidents per miles ridden, deaths per accident, specifically single-vehicle (thus, usually the riders' fault) are rising. This is what I find so disturbing.

 

[jmeyn]

They're supposed to reduce the number of deaths, regardless of miles travelled. The information on contributing factors is very valuable, although hardly surprising.

It's not safe to get drunk and tired at three in the morning, then take a 150 mph run down a curvy stretch of unlit country two-lane lined with immovable objects with our hair flying in the wind. We knew that.

Could MO or the squidbase locate some miles travelled stats that we could use to normalize the 1990-1999 data?

I wish they had used bike weight or type instead of displacement. I wonder how the increasing availability of supersport reprobikes to confident 19 year old BMX experts effected the curves.

 

[jmeyn]

Re: We

Exactly. The BAC numbers are simply incredible. Maybe we're seeing an increase in suicidally inclined bikers.

 

[Poser]

This whole thing is both depressing and interesting. The lessening of injuries but rising death rates is really interesting. Maybe protective gear is good enough that, in some cases, it is a digital question- you are dead or you are fine.



That is pretty hard to believe, but it really means we need a new Hurt report. The new report needs to look at factors the original didn't look at and should include non-fatal accidents. (I believe the original only looked at fatal accidents- somebody will likely correct me if I am wrong.)



19 year old squids have always been able to buy overpowered superbikes. The brakes, powerband, and frame on a mid-70s two stroke rocket were such that they were much more dangerous than a current R-1 in most . If anything, current sportbikes are SAFER in many respects. Maybe that is part of the answer- bikes are so good now that if you screw up enough to crash, you are really toast.



Well, no rants today, just lots of questions. Helmet on, armor on, both wheels on the ground. I plan to live to Pose another day...

 

[hola]

NHTSA ministry of propaganda

Let's see. According to the DOT private moto registrations were up in 99 by 7.1%. This of course does not include estimates of miles traveled -- a dubious figure of course. Of course, with vehicle registrations itself is not good enough, since people own more than one motorcycle.

But it is no surprise that motorcycles have increased dramatically in popularity, not only in sales but also in usage.

It is highly irresponsible and unprofessional to "delay" ratios. All of course, in the quest of more political propaganda, self importance, grandiose (life "saving") ideas and most importantly the need for greater funding to implement such "grandiose" ideas.

Oh, i did forget to mention that by and large most people accident reports are worth krap (exceptions noted). Generally the work of a desintersted child at best, and at wost "politically" motivated "by checking the all importante speed box" (in the contributing factors), either checked by the cop or the supervisor.

 

[pk509]

Hmmm. Let's see...more motorcycles on the road, more newer, less experienced riders, FEWER riders wearing helmets.... WHY IS THIS NEWS?! Wear your freakin' protective gear and stay alive!

 

[DataDan]

Y'all who have seen my previous postings on similar topics may have concluded:

1) DataDan has no life.

2) Government press releases about motorcycle fatalities are a joke.

I would dispute 1), but you're absolutely correct about 2). This instance is no different.

Here are the percentages of motorcycle fatalities that occurred in single-vehicle crashes from 1997 to 2000:

1996 43.7%

1997 44.3%

1998 45.5%

1999 45.9%

2000 45.4%

It's clear that there's little has changed with respect to single- and multiple-vehicle motorcycle crashes. I suppose if one felt that the 1.7 percentage point increase from 1996 to 2000 were statistically significant, one might attribute it to the rapidly growing newbie population.

The numbers reported by NHTSA are indeed increasing, but, as I have repeated endlessly here and in other forums, that is an inescapable consequence of the motorcycling boom. Annual sales of new street bikes increased 50% in two short years from 1997 to 1999 [NHTSA, "Recent Trends in Fatal Motorcycle Crashes", June 2001]. More bikes more crashes. It's as simple as that.

 

[10650]

motorcycles getting faster every year-
new riders thinking that a 600 is a starter bike-
it's not "cool "to wear a helmet these days-
kids doing extreme stunts without wearing protective gear- it doesn't surprise me at all !

 

[blip]

Well, at the end of the day, the amount of fatal single vehicle crashes IS increasing as a percentage of total crashes. Regardless of total miles driven or how many people are riding, this is definitely a bad thing, and the trend is going the wrong way, no matter how slightly or how much NHTSA is playing with the numbers.

 

[RWUB]

Also, the fact that bikes are so good today tends to make some, shall we say, overzealous, overestimating their skills and limits and committing a mistake they can't handle because they think they're Ben Bostrom. They take chances they otherwise wouldn't on say a 20 year old bike, because of this.

 

[NavyBueller]

Miles ridden data has to be included. This study indicates that a rider with a BAC greater than 0.1 at 3:30am on a 1300cc bike is safer than a rider with a BAC of 0.01 at 1:00am on a 600cc bike.



You are still more likely to be killed in a multiple-vehicle accident (54%) than in a single-vehicle accident (46%). How many multiple-vehicle accidents involve multiple motorcycles? The cagers are coming...

 

[NavyBueller]

Does anybody remember July 23rd, 1987?



On that day, Senator John Danforth (Republican from Missouri) read, before his fellow senators, the Motorcycle Safety Act of 1987 (Senate Bill 1536).



This was "a bill to require the Secretary of Transportation to promulgate rules regarding the safe operation of certain rapid acceleration motorcycles."



Following increases in fatality statistics, Senator Danforth (with the backing of the insurance industry) proposed the creation of federal horsepower-to-weight ratio limits for motorcycles sold in the United States.



The bill died while before the Commerce Commitee.



If you think NHTSA studies don't affect you, if you think we should all just put on helmets and not drink and ride carefully, you are missing the point.



Register to vote. Get informed.

 

[hola]

helmet use? whoohoooo!!!

lets see according to the NHTSA in 99 the helmet use made for a 1% gain. Wow, and in 98 it was even. No difference !!!! Considering that most states during this time jumped on the no helmet bandwagon the "bloodbath" of helmetless riders has not only failed to materialize, but has shown little no differance.

No, i do not ride cruisers, i road race. But no, putt-putting around town the helmet is not a startrek shield.

 

[hola]

the stats actually do not say that.

So these days it is not cool to wear helmets. Could be.

So "these days", 1998 the deaths for helmet and helmetless riders was exactly the same percentage.

In 1999 the difference was only 1% (in favor of helmet wearing riders). HUGE differances here!!! Wow, your dumbarse has discovered the reason for the "huge" increase in fatalities.

 

[starvingstudent]

Oh God. Don't they realize that someone on a Hayabusa with a full-face helmet and leathers is better off than someone on an Intruder 125 in shorts and sunglasses?!

 

[starvingstudent]

Actually, I wouldn't be surprised if helmets are more common now than ever before. With lightweight, comfortable Arais and Shoeis with race-rep graphics or lustrous single-color paint, wearing a helmet is much more pleasant than it used to be and for some crowds is now a style _enhancement_.



I do agree with you on the starter bike thing, though. I've got nothing against CBRs and even Hayabusas on the road, but people shouldn't be buying them as first bikes. No one party (magazines, manufacturers, marketing) should singlehandedly be blamed for this trend, though. That would explain the increase in death/accident, though--some novice riders will always screw up, but screwing up at 45 is a lot better than screwing up at 135.

 

[NickdaBrick]

Here's a correlation to ponder: number of motorcyclists killed vs. number of SUV's on the road. How many of those killed were run off the road by some completely oblivious Toyota Land Crusher driver talking on a cell phone, who didn't even notice the rider, much less the accident?



One thing we, collectively, have to get our act together on is making other drivers aware of motorcyclists and letting them know that we have just as much right to the road as they do.



Do your part for safety. Walk around your neighborhood at night and slash the tires of every Explorer and Suburban you see.