planb
5th January 2005, 07:37
More bikers are dying as boomers rev 'em up
The Arizona Republic
The number of motorcyclists dying on Arizona roads has dramatically increased in the past five years, in part because new riders and veterans who haven't ridden for years are hitting the streets without proper training, experts say.
A flock of new urban professionals and older returning riders are ill-prepared to handle the rigors of more powerful bikes and crowded streets, they say. Add to that unlicensed riders, alcohol impairment and inattentive motorists, and it means more deaths and injuries.
The number of Arizona motorcycle fatalities jumped 46 percent, with 111 deaths in 2003 compared with 76 deaths in 1999, according to an Arizona Republic analysis of Arizona Department of Transportation data. Nationally, the number of deaths is up 73 percent from 1997 to 2003, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
The peak year for Arizona motorcycle fatalities was 1979, with 134 fatalities, three years after the state's short-lived helmet law was repealed. From 1979 to 1986, there were more than 100 motorcycle fatalities each year, according to Jim Williams, ADOT traffic records manager.
Experts still say helmets are vital, but today they're just as likely to point to the type of people taking up riding to explain the increase in accidents.
"There's an influx of retired folks that rode when they were in high school and gave it up, raised a family and now are returning, but the motorcycles and the dynamics are completely different," said Dick Studdard, chairman of the Arizona Motorcycle Safety Advisory Council.
Arizona has seen a 37 percent increase in motorcycle licenses and registrations in the past five years, according to the state Motor Vehicle Division, but fatalities are rising at a faster clip. "It is part of what is going on nationwide," Studdard said. "It is not just more motorcycles, it is more untrained motorcyclists."
Arizona Motor Vehicle Division spokeswoman Cydney DeModica agrees that training is lacking. "What we are seeing is young professionals who have kind of adopted motorcycles as their hobby, and they are able to afford the really upscale bikes," she said. But a lot of them are skipping the training.
"They are new to motorcycles and don't realize they can be virtually invisible to a large SUV and not as easy to see as a car, SUV or pickup truck, simply because they are smaller," DeModica said.
"Hold up a deck of cards, flat side toward you. This is a private passenger car... Turn the card sideways, and this is a motorcycle."
Dr. Scott Petersen, St. Joseph's Hospital medical director of trauma services, said the mortality rate of motorcycle crash patients has remained about 5 percent over the past several years, with most dying in the first 24 hours from head injuries.
But he said the hospital has seen an increase in helmet use, from 30 percent of patients in 2002 to 48 percent in the first half of 2004. And he said the presence of alcohol in the blood of patients has decreased from 26 percent in 2002 to 22 percent in 2004.
"The trend is in the right direction. Maybe motorcycle drivers are getting to be a little more responsible," Petersen said. "The good news is, helmet use is going up, and we are getting the message across despite the fact we have repealed our helmet law."
But few topics are as hot in the motorcycle world as a helmet law. Advocates say they save lives while detractors say wearing a helmet is a matter of personal freedom.
Arizona doesn't have a helmet law for adults but does require one for riders under 18. Twenty states, including Washington, California, Oregon and Nevada, require helmets for all riders.
"I feel unsafe when I wear a helmet because a helmet is going to weigh too much and impair my hearing and vision," said Ray Huston, 57, of Glendale, the state vice chairman of the 1,200-member Modified Motorcycle Association of Arizona, a rights organization.
"We feel we are adults, and we can choose how we ride."
Richard Fimbres, director of the Governor's Office of Highway Safety, said the absence of a helmet law draws some riders to the state.
According to ADOT data, 67 of 111 motorcycle riders and passengers who died in crashes in 2003 were not wearing helmets. Nationally in 2003, 52 percent of fatally injured motorcycle riders were not wearing helmets, according to NHTSA. In 2002, helmet use is credited for saving the lives of 1,005 motorcyclists, and an additional 579 more could have survived if all motorcyclists had worn them, NHTSA estimates.
The Arizona Republic
The number of motorcyclists dying on Arizona roads has dramatically increased in the past five years, in part because new riders and veterans who haven't ridden for years are hitting the streets without proper training, experts say.
A flock of new urban professionals and older returning riders are ill-prepared to handle the rigors of more powerful bikes and crowded streets, they say. Add to that unlicensed riders, alcohol impairment and inattentive motorists, and it means more deaths and injuries.
The number of Arizona motorcycle fatalities jumped 46 percent, with 111 deaths in 2003 compared with 76 deaths in 1999, according to an Arizona Republic analysis of Arizona Department of Transportation data. Nationally, the number of deaths is up 73 percent from 1997 to 2003, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
The peak year for Arizona motorcycle fatalities was 1979, with 134 fatalities, three years after the state's short-lived helmet law was repealed. From 1979 to 1986, there were more than 100 motorcycle fatalities each year, according to Jim Williams, ADOT traffic records manager.
Experts still say helmets are vital, but today they're just as likely to point to the type of people taking up riding to explain the increase in accidents.
"There's an influx of retired folks that rode when they were in high school and gave it up, raised a family and now are returning, but the motorcycles and the dynamics are completely different," said Dick Studdard, chairman of the Arizona Motorcycle Safety Advisory Council.
Arizona has seen a 37 percent increase in motorcycle licenses and registrations in the past five years, according to the state Motor Vehicle Division, but fatalities are rising at a faster clip. "It is part of what is going on nationwide," Studdard said. "It is not just more motorcycles, it is more untrained motorcyclists."
Arizona Motor Vehicle Division spokeswoman Cydney DeModica agrees that training is lacking. "What we are seeing is young professionals who have kind of adopted motorcycles as their hobby, and they are able to afford the really upscale bikes," she said. But a lot of them are skipping the training.
"They are new to motorcycles and don't realize they can be virtually invisible to a large SUV and not as easy to see as a car, SUV or pickup truck, simply because they are smaller," DeModica said.
"Hold up a deck of cards, flat side toward you. This is a private passenger car... Turn the card sideways, and this is a motorcycle."
Dr. Scott Petersen, St. Joseph's Hospital medical director of trauma services, said the mortality rate of motorcycle crash patients has remained about 5 percent over the past several years, with most dying in the first 24 hours from head injuries.
But he said the hospital has seen an increase in helmet use, from 30 percent of patients in 2002 to 48 percent in the first half of 2004. And he said the presence of alcohol in the blood of patients has decreased from 26 percent in 2002 to 22 percent in 2004.
"The trend is in the right direction. Maybe motorcycle drivers are getting to be a little more responsible," Petersen said. "The good news is, helmet use is going up, and we are getting the message across despite the fact we have repealed our helmet law."
But few topics are as hot in the motorcycle world as a helmet law. Advocates say they save lives while detractors say wearing a helmet is a matter of personal freedom.
Arizona doesn't have a helmet law for adults but does require one for riders under 18. Twenty states, including Washington, California, Oregon and Nevada, require helmets for all riders.
"I feel unsafe when I wear a helmet because a helmet is going to weigh too much and impair my hearing and vision," said Ray Huston, 57, of Glendale, the state vice chairman of the 1,200-member Modified Motorcycle Association of Arizona, a rights organization.
"We feel we are adults, and we can choose how we ride."
Richard Fimbres, director of the Governor's Office of Highway Safety, said the absence of a helmet law draws some riders to the state.
According to ADOT data, 67 of 111 motorcycle riders and passengers who died in crashes in 2003 were not wearing helmets. Nationally in 2003, 52 percent of fatally injured motorcycle riders were not wearing helmets, according to NHTSA. In 2002, helmet use is credited for saving the lives of 1,005 motorcyclists, and an additional 579 more could have survived if all motorcyclists had worn them, NHTSA estimates.