There is sobering information in this piece on CNN.com, some stuff we knew about and have discussed here, but worth sharing for the newer folks just enjoying their first Sporty...

Just to remind you, when we ran the thread about average age of Forum readers, for those who responded, the average I calculated was 42 +/- 12 years.


http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/01/21/motorcycle.deaths.ap/index.html

Go to Daytona Bike Week in a few weeks and you want to see
some high fashioned non experienced riders cruising around
that place. Holy Cow Bat Man look out. Daytonas accident
rate goes up every year,and has risen steadily now for the
last decade. It's not just Daytona it's all around us.

Return riders or new riders need to take a motorcycle safety
course just to see how much they have forgotten or have
not learned yet. I for one have not been without a bike for
28 years that is how long i have been riding motorcycles. Do
i need a refresher course? sure i do. Will it help me refresh my safety
skills? you betcha it will. ;)

Safety experts suspect older riders with a lot of disposable income are buying more machine than their aging, out-of-practice bodies can handle.I guess I better trade in my Sporty for a BT then to be safe.

If you are returning to riding after 20 years, take the MSF course, please!!!

Gazza

If you are returning to riding after 20 years, take the MSF course, please!!!

Gazza

and the same goes for the new riders. It's no shame to learn and it's not just like riding a bycycle.

Alot of states require it now to get your license.
In NC were i live you can opt to take the MSF and bypass
all the dmv bullsh$t.

When i took my license all you did was one right hand turn,
one left hand turn and stop sign, and one complete figure eight
in a parking lot all in less than 10 minutes time. :frownthre

To be honest I took the course just to get my license. I wasn't too thrilled about going through the DMV after 22 yrs since my last test. But after taking the course I became a firm believer in taking it for the stuff you learn that might just save your life someday.

Gary

:soap :soap :soap


I have said it, and said it, and said it......the MSF course should be made mandatory before the license can be issued. But just try to get this passed
through the state houses.:madhead

Alot of states require it now to get your license.
In NC were i live you can opt to take the MSF and bypass
all the dmv bullsh$t.

When i took my license all you did was one right hand turn,
one left hand turn and stop sign, and one complete figure eight
in a parking lot all in less than 10 minutes time. :frownthre

That was more than what I had to do to get my license. You went out of the parking around the block and back into the parking. If you came by in a reasonable amount of time with no new scratches they gave you a license. Of course that was 30 years ago and things have changed thank goodness.

The scarey thing now is you can take a MSF course on one of their small bikes, pass and get you license then go home and hop on your 800 lb motorcycle. I was in a BMW shop a couple of years ago and a guy from California was talking to the salesman about getting his Oregon license. He said he couldn't pass the test on his K1200LT so they suggested the the MSF course. The thought scared me when I thought about the guy and his wife out on their own. Then they wonder why the death rate is climbing.

And its too bad that these people are also partly responsible for the increase in the cost to insure your ride. I blame the crotch rocket riders for the rest of the increase.

funny thing, at an abate meeting an older gent who nobody knew stopped in (seeing all the bikes out front) and after the meeting he asked if anyone knew of any groups that sponsered rides , well we told him we were going on a 100 miler after the meeting and he could tag along if he wanted , no problem

well this little 135lb 5'4" gent walks out to his bike (a fatboy) swings his leg over the bike , hits the starter , kicks up the side stand , and tips over on his left side

now while he was in the bar during the meeting he did not drink , as we picked up his bike and helped him get up we could not smell booze on him ,so we were thinking he was sober, sure as shit he was , but this was his first day out on a bike "EVER" and he got himself the biggest baddest bike he could find and wanted to run with the big boys who had several thousend miles under their belts

and you wonder why accedents happen

$15,000.00 and 1,500 miles don't make you a biker!

When I got my license it was as easy as most others who got theirs years ago. These days it is much harder to get. I'm not exactly sure of the details but in Ontario Canada we have progressive motorcycle licensing. The first stage only allows you to ride in the daylight on roads limited to 50 mph speeds and no passengers and absolutely no alcohol in your blood. The next stage allows you to ride on larger highways in the daylight only and no passengers and no alcohol. The final stage allows you to drive day or night on any road at any speed with a passenger and you can drink alcohol. By the time you get your full license you are qualified to screw up as big as you want.

Safety course? We don't need no stinkin' safety course!

http://www.hdbikers.com/Alleydude/Pictures/Crash/Crash06.jpg

I got my bike in June of last year after not haveing ridden for about 15 years. To be able to commute to my work, I was required to take a local MSF advanced rider course. Glad I did. It forced me to recall some things I had forgotten. However, I think at least as important as the MSF course is to get a lot of miles under your seat. Experience with the bike is absolutely required to know how it handles, and how you react with it. Although I felt fairly confident riding it from the first, in retrospect I was in jeopardy for about the first 3000 miles. It wasn't, for me, until after about then that I was able to instinctively react...with the bike...to surprise situations in traffic. The bike needs to be broken in, I think the rider does as well. I would strongly recommend, especially for us older riders, to take it easy, ride the back roads, conciously practice what was learned in the MSF course, and develop the skills needed to be a safe rider. Old dogs can learn new tricks!

What I see happening, is that most of the deaths, and accidents involve drinking. The wrecks at Daytona bike week almost always involve drinking.
I think that drinking, and not wearing helmets are the cause of most of the deaths, not so much the age group.
I have been riding for 35+ years, but I don't drink. A bunch of people that I know that ride always involve bars and drinking, but they golf and drink, play softball, and drink, bowl and drink, ride motorcycles and drink.

Your right, most of the people that i know who ride, only ride 1500 miles a year or less and claim to be riders. Also the load a passenger on the back and drink, which a recipe for disaster. I have Harley's and sport bikes, but the sportbike people ride much more than the Harley people.

Great experiment by Motorcycle Cruiser staff called: "Rolling Stoned Experiments in riding"! It's a quick read for all of us who like our brewsky.

http://motorcyclecruiser.com/streetsurvival/drunk/

Billy Nobeeronaharley

[QUOTE=jnor]Your right, most of the people that i know who ride, only ride 1500 miles a year or less and claim to be riders. QUOTE]

I probably fall in that category! I ride approximately 3,000 mi. per year. My bike is garaged from December through mid April due to the midwest weather. At 60, I'm very mindful each new season, that I have spent 4 1/2 months out of the saddle. I usually spend some cautious riding time before I go into my one wheel and bike jumping routines.

Billy

not me man, light the wick, drop the hammer and waaaaaaa hooooooooooooooo , one wheel , smoke rollin' out the back , and the ol'lady hanging on for dear life , spring is right around the corner

Great experiment by Motorcycle Cruiser staff called: "Rolling Stoned Experiments in riding"! It's a quick read for all of us who like our brewsky.

http://motorcyclecruiser.com/streetsurvival/drunk/

Billy Nobeeronaharley
Very good article...................it points out clearly many of the reasons I quit drinking.:)

Yes I think the MSC is a great idea, but.... I think people are missing the big picture. Along with rising fataities are SALES! More bikes on the road means more accidents. You cant tell me that there were as many auto deaths in 1950 as there are now. There are more cars on the road, hence: more accidents. I will say that scooters are more popular than ever due to the media exposure, but the bottom line is the numbers that are out there.

My .02

Dave

Yes I think the MSC is a great idea, but.... I think people are missing the big picture. Along with rising fataities are SALES! More bikes on the road means more accidents. You cant tell me that there were as many auto deaths in 1950 as there are now. There are more cars on the road, hence: more accidents. I will say that scooters are more popular than ever due to the media exposure, but the bottom line is the numbers that are out there.

My .02

Dave


I am not a big fan of the MSC. It will teach you to pass to be legal. So out you go onto the highways with little real know how. The advance course should also be required. The best course I took was back in my racing days on how to crash. Now that is a corse that wil save your life but I don't know if it is taught any where today.

My wife did take the MSC and I still made her take my course on what they don't teach. I.E. how many of you took a turn and hit loss gravel? If you have to hit a car how to hit it? Did they teach you what to do in the MSC?

The bottom line is like an old TV show,
''This is your life." Learn and live to ride for another day. For some great safey info try MSN, sorry I don't know the link off hand.

The reason that the death rate for older riders is rising is because there are more older people period. The baby boomers are getting into their 40's and 50's now and are the largest segment of the general population. So it would stand to reason that more motorcyclists are older and die on them proportionally. The general population is going to continue to get older for some time according to demographic projections. The thing is ALL motorcyclist need training. In Germany you have to ride a novice class bike (350cc and under) for four years before you can even by a big bike. Most people here by the biggest bike they can afford right out of the box. No experience, no training, no nothing.

Billy thanx for the Rolling Stoned reminder, I have'nt seen that in a while.....alot of reasons there why I quit drinkin an Rx'n 8 yrs ago.....with that my life expectency on a bike ( or a cage)went up sharply... not to mention the innocent folks around me who didd;nt even know I was coming. True that alc or Rx is one of larger causes of motorcycle injury/death...but what about pure inexperience ya know 15 grand and 15 hun miles don't make you a biker......how about quote "I have H D's and sportbikes, but the sportbike people ride much more than the H D people do" unquote.....COOL but I generally don't see Harley's doing ENDO's and WHEELIES thru intersections, and weaving thru highway traffic at 4 times the posted speed scaring people as they whip by with inches to spare, causing accident behind them they never see.....I think ONE of the bottom lines is that there are a whole lot of people on bikes that aint got no buisness on 'em....My 2 cents....Mike 74xlh :smoke

True. As I told my youngest son(who is considering a Sportster) you have to ride like you are on patrol in downtown Faluja .

I will remember this quote most of all:

And for those of you who've gotten through all this and still believe it's okay to drink and ride? A Highway Patrol Officer from San Diego sums it up, "There's a certain Darwinian process that gets rid of the real bad riders real quick."


:D

Billy thanx for the Rolling Stoned reminder, I have'nt seen that in a while.....alot of reasons there why I quit drinkin an Rx'n 8 yrs ago.....with that my life expectency on a bike ( or a cage)went up sharply... not to mention the innocent folks around me who didd;nt even know I was coming. True that alc or Rx is one of larger causes of motorcycle injury/death...but what about pure inexperience ya know 15 grand and 15 hun miles don't make you a biker......how about quote "I have H D's and sportbikes, but the sportbike people ride much more than the H D people do" unquote.....COOL but I generally don't see Harley's doing ENDO's and WHEELIES thru intersections, and weaving thru highway traffic at 4 times the posted speed scaring people as they whip by with inches to spare, causing accident behind them they never see.....I think ONE of the bottom lines is that there are a whole lot of people on bikes that aint got no buisness on 'em....My 2 cents....Mike 74xlh :smoke
The people that i ride with on sportbike, don't do "wheelies", and "stoppies", i'am 54 yeard old, we just like different bikes they all have thier merits. What I meant is that the more you ride the better, and more aware you are.
I love my Harleys I rode them when it wasn't "cool" to ride them. Most of the people who ride them now are not into riding, just looking "cool" they own motorcycles, but are not much for riding them.

I don't consider someone that is between 30 and 40 years old an old rider! I am 62 yrs young and that is old!, did the MSF course over a year ago and going for the Advanced course next month.............just my opinion

I got my first bike (is a Vespa a real bike) in '76; joined a m/c club at the USAF base I was stationed at in '77; took the oportunity to become a MSF Instructor that summer and got a Suzy Titan shortly afterward; road and taught, taugh and road in Sacramento area for about 7 years; failed to renew Instructor Certificate because of paperwork issues; got a Suzy GS850 in '80 (and got divorced!); took the GS to England in '87 and only put 300 or so miles on it (it had 80k plus before going over there); sold it and came back in '90; then I got my '04 XL1200R because my wife loves me - alot;
AND I still took the MSF course (only half a long, what's up with that?) before I would ride anywhere but around the block; now I have 2500+ on it and look forward to outdoing my previous mileage marks.
But the most important thing I do on the road is to talk about and cuss at the other drivers. Important because it means that I see them and recognize the idiots for what they are and what they could do to me. This is not to say that one day someone won't sneak up on me, I'm only human after all.

All riders should take a quality training class.

Folks, let's face it. The reason there are a lot more bikes and idiot riders out there is money. A lot of folks today have the cash, or the plastic, to go out buy a bike, hop on it with little or no experience, and take off down the road. These money folks are split into two groups: the vodla and martini set.........who sip wine with every meal, and the blue collar/middle income guy with plastic or just enough income to get credit.

The v & m guy thinks having a bike is cool. He can show it off at the office and brag it up at the country club. Most often doesn't know a d*mn about riding but knows how to sip and ride. Gets his buddies to buy one out of envy. Ya'll can pick these guys outta any crowd. There closet's full of HD clothing and their bikes look like they came outta bike glamor magazine.

The blue collar/middle income guy, who because of that little piece of plastic in his wallet and doesn't mind being up to his a** in debt, can now buy something that years ago he could have never been able to afford. He too in most cases doesn't know how to ride, but it becomes a moncho thing.........swig beer and ride.........remember James Dean and Marlin Brando? That's the look these guys want.

These two groups make up a lot of the folks out there who just plain a** don't belong on bikes. They don't take the time to learn the skills necessary to riding. To them it's hop and ride, drink and ride, look cool and ride. This isn't four wheels to the pavement, it's two.....when you're on a bike you are in the open, not sheltered by steel and glass.

Not like the old days that many of us older (more mature) riders on this site remember. The days when the bike was your transportation....how ya'll got to work and back.........how you got to the bar........how you had fun......how you got the girl and then how you took her out. How many of ya'll took your girl friend to a drive-in movie on your bike.

I sweated my a** off over a jackhammer to get enough money for my first bike. My buddy at the time milked 60 cows twice a day. We learned to ride in creek beds, in pastures, on stone quarry roads and on the dirt roads off which we lived. Yeh, we drank.........like fish. But the riding came first, the drinking grew into it. I'm not proud of most of what we did..........we raised Hell to the point that methinks Satan wouldn't even want us. I quit drinking and now enjoy the rides...but still use it for daily transportation. Its just to me there are bikers and then there are bikers.

Sorry for the rant, sometimes I'm just in a pi**y mood.:soap

Desertfox - Not that I have anything against graduated licences such as what is done in Germany but I think the days of using the engine size as the method to determine what a person can or cannot ride (or in the case of most insurance companies, to determine how much you pay) should disappear. Its funny that most people forget (or don't realize) that a 600cc crotch rocket is much more faster that a 883cc sportster. Just my $0.02 worth.

Acquired my first bike licence in 1967 have been riding ever since and its the other :censor erd you have to watch out for on the road.
A ride course may help but du's not prevent the unpreventable.

Grayfeather. :tour

OK a few points guys..

First up myself...

My name is stevo and I'm a motorcyclist..........always have been... always will be.... even when I didn't have a motorcycle I atleast rode/raced pushbikes...

40 years of age and I have a number of bikes including one of those jap crotch rocket things that I do stuntin on.... mainly down the drag strip on private sessions.. but yes, I do occasionally pick the front wheel up on the road.... :shhhh :yikes
And yes when the sporty gets back up and runnin it'll be stunted too.. :D
Some of us refuse to grow up :shhhh

I rarely exceed the speed limit by much these days and I often ride by myself even when I'm travellin with a group, if they're travellin faster than I want or it's bunch of BAB's (Born Again Bikers).... The only place I wind the bike out these days is down the strip... guess I am gettin older...

What I have noticed in recent years is a general shift in the demographic of your average motorcyclist....

Theres more of 'em... :clap ...and there's more cars too ... more things to dodge... :(

Unfortunately we have a number of other factors involved and it's not quite as easy a fix as one might think.
We have bikes which are insanely fast.... we have riders with limited experiance....... not a good combination..

restricting the size of the bike is rarely gonna do much to the older crowd as a number of them have had their licence for years, just never used it :frownthre
Going to a power/ weight ratio is a better idea IMO
But again this doesn't address the issue of those that THINK they can ride and can't


In order to look at a fix we have to identify the problem.....

As I said before I've noticed a shift in the demographic in recent years, we are getting alot of middle age men (and women) buying bikes to try and regain some of their lost youth.. Instead of buyin the sports car or gettin a mistress.
Unfortunately if someone is buyin a bike for these reasons then they're not gonna wanna take any sort of instruction because they're buying the bike to fill a void in their life that they don't wish to recognise...

Lie to anyone BUT NOT to yaself ;)

I believe it's this demographic that is havin the accidents..... I see 'em regularly and I try not to ride anywhere near 'em...to an experianced rider they stand out like canine testicles

Unfortunately it's a hard one to get actual statistics on the riding experiance of each one that goes down BUT the general shift in the age of accidents is proof enuff....


How do we fix it???.....if ya haven't owned ( registered in your name) a bike for over 5 years then you should be made to take an ADVANCED rider course, not the little cookie cutter one but a decent one...
Bike licences should require testing/training on a regular basis..

This won't fix it either... because if people aren't buyin a bike for the right reason then they ain't gonna listen ...... :cry1

Well said Stevo.

Grayfeather.

I disagree totally. If you want to slow the accident rate, educate the cage operator. This isn't to say that a new rider shouldn't take the MSF, I think they should however, much of the problems concerning motorcycles and their respective accident rates is simply because the rider was nailed by some idiot who ran a light, failed to see the bike while making a move or failed to acknowledge the bike at all. Most accidents occur with the rider having the ability to see the on coming hazard between 11 and 1 o'clock and yet they failed to pick it up for whatever reason. Also, most motorcycle accidents in the United States occur at intersections and the least amount occur on the road or while on a trip. I do ride with newbs and hope I can share what I have learned in my 37 years of riding. Remember, we were newbs at one time too, a time when things were much easier and the dangers associated with riding a bike or driving a cage were far less.

Hawk

At the end of the day wether are in the right or wrong ... we get hurt..

Therefore it is our responsibility to be aware that the tin tops are out to kill us.

The very same reason behind that the demographic that is increasing in the death rate is also the reason we can't educate the tin tops properly..

People aren't gonna listen.............

We HAVE to be more aware 'cos it's us that gets hurt........

The more "safe" we make cars the more vulnerable we are as motorcyclists... because "I'm safe and it isn't going to happen to me"

For motorcyclists that havn't ridden for a long time and are used ta drivin a tin top with that attitude are gonna have problems on a bike.

And that's what we are seein n the statistics

Stevo I agree, when riding a motorcycle you have to ride like you're invisible. Another point to add to the age of riders getting older is that there are a lot and I mean a lot of riders that only ride 500-1000 miles a year if that much. They also only ride for a few months out of the year so you can't tell me they are sharp when they do ride. Its hard to become a good rider with so few miles.

I'm not sure if I subscribe to the "ride like you're invisible" theory...Man I want to be SEEN and HEARD while I ride my motorcycle....louder pipes help with part of that.. and just plain old riding sensible...and over many years of rideing one developes a sense of being able to "predict"what people are gonna do, I don't know how many tines I'll be goim down the hwy an say to myself...I knew that fool was gonna change lanes on top of me...or there she goes, soccer mom's gonna run that light...you know most of what I know about rideing I learned from rideing, however alot can be learned from a safety class....but no amout of "instruction" could have stopped my BIG crash, when the lady missed the stopsign alltogether an hit me going through an intersection...there were no skid marks from either of us, I think that one is more revealing on how bad alot of cagers really drive....so it's MY responsibility to WATCH out for THEM...my $.02....Mike 74xlh :smoke

..Lie to anyone BUT NOT to yaself ;)

Stevo... You said it all.

Ego is a terrible thing. The people you speak of remind me of the pubescent teen unwilling to admit to their own virginity in the strugggle for peer acceptance. Sadly this unwillingness (in our world) can and often does cost life and limb.

..so it's MY responsibility to WATCH out for THEM.

It's called paying yer dues.

Stevo is probably right, a lot of us ""BABs" maybe shouldn't be riding, but there is something that could be changed, and it would be wonderful, that we haven't mentioned, and that's riding while drinking, screwed up, etc. (I say this keeping in mind that it ain't my purpose on earth to tell folks what to do or not to do, but I do hate to see unnecessary tragedy.)

In 1998, 36% of all motorcycle crashes happened to riders with a blood alcohol of .10 or greater. (Drunk in most jurisdictions) 45% of all fatal single vehicle MC crashes, and 62% of all fatal, night/weekend single vehicle MC crashes happened to riders who were legally intox'ed.

As far as wrecks based upon age, the under 40 crowd is apparently going to fight for the title, because in 2001, for the first time since 1997, the highest % increase in fatal accidents was to riders 40 and under.

http://www.street-and-ragsdale.com/lawyer/texas_law_alert/fall_2003/motorcycle_accidents.html

I know cars cause a lot of crashes, (a young girl in a little Toyota rear wheel drive pulled out right in front of me on a Gold Wing, and they had to tow her car away cause my bike broke the rear axle) but if we're at our best when we're on the bike, maybe we have a better chance to avoid the cager idiot that did one of the two most dreaded things to us, pulling out from a side street, or turning left in front of us.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not a goody two shoes, or some preacher, I figure I messed up too much when I was young for that. But I'm still around, due to the Grace of the Almighty more than anything else, and at least if I bite the big one on my scoot now, it won't have anything to do with something I drank, dropped, snorted, or smoked.

I wish we could solve that problem - in my 31 years in the fire service, I helped scrape up a lot of folks from the blacktop, and lotsa times they were wasted.

Well said from a person who has seen it.

Thanks

As Dragnet's Detective Friday use to say, "the facts mam, just the facts." This explains why insurance rates are still higher for younger bike riders and auto drivers!

#19. Motorcycle riders between the ages of 16 and 24 are significantly over-represented in accidents; motorcycle riders between the ages of 30 and 50 are significantly under represented. Although the majority of the accident-involved motorcycle riders are male (96%), the female motorcycle riders are significantly over represented in the accident data.

A Summary of the Hurt Study Findings:
Motorcycle Accident Cause Factors and Identification of Countermeasures:

The "Motorcycle Accident Cause Factors and Identification of Countermeasures," is a study conducted by the University of Southern California (USC). With funds from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

This document is available through: The National Technical Information Service, Springfield, Virginia 22161 "Motorcycle Accident Cause Factors and Identification of Countermeasures" Findings Throughout the accident and exposure data there are special observations which relate to accident and injury causation and characteristics of the motorcycle accidents studied.

These findings are summarized as follows:

1. Approximately three-fourths of these motorcycle accidents involved collision with another vehicle, which was most usually a passenger automobile.

2. Approximately one-fourth of these motorcycle accidents were single vehicle accidents involving the motorcycle colliding with the roadway or some fixed object in the environment.

3. Vehicle failure accounted for less than 3% of these motorcycle accidents, and most of those were single vehicle accidents where control was lost due to a puncture flat.

4. In the single vehicle accidents, motorcycle rider error was present as the accident precipitating factor in about two-thirds of the cases, with the typical error being a slide out and fall due to over braking or running wide on a curve due to excess speed or under-cornering.

5. Roadway defects (pavement ridges, potholes, etc.) were the accident cause in 2% of the accidents; animal involvement was 1% of the accidents.

6. In the multiple vehicle accidents, the driver of the other vehicle violated the motorcycle right-of-way and caused the accident in two-thirds of those accidents.

7. The failure of motorists to detect and recognize motorcycles in traffic is the predominating cause of motorcycle accidents. The driver of the other vehicle involved in collision with the motorcycle did not see the motorcycle before the collision, or did not see the motorcycle until too late to avoid the collision.

8. Deliberate hostile action by a motorist against a motorcycle rider is a rare accident cause. The most frequent accident configuration is the motorcycle proceeding straight then the automobile makes a left turn in front of the oncoming motorcycle.

9. Intersections are the most likely place for the motorcycle accident, with the other vehicle violating the motorcycle right-of-way, and often violating traffic controls.

10. Weather is not a factor in 98% of motorcycle accidents.

11. Most motorcycle accidents involve a short trip associated with shopping, errands, friends, entertainment or recreation, and the accident is likely to happen in a very short time close to the trip origin.

12. The view of the motorcycle or the other vehicle involved in the accident is limited by glare or obstructed by other vehicles in almost half of the multiple vehicle accidents.

13. Conspicuity of the motorcycle is a critical factor in the multiple vehicle accidents, and accident involvement is significantly reduced by the use of motorcycle headlamps (on in daylight) and the wearing of high visibility yellow, orange or bright red jackets. (Note: the statistics which have just been released here in Australia - August 1996, DO NOT SHOW that "Lights on" legislation has worked!)

14. Fuel system leaks and spills were present in 62% of the motorcycle accidents in the post-crash phase. This represents an undue hazard for fire.

15. The median pre-crash speed was 29.8 mph, and the median crash speed was 21.5 mph, and the one-in-a-thousand crash speed is approximately 86 mph.

16. The typical motorcycle pre-crash lines-of-sight to the traffic hazard portray no contribution of the limits of peripheral vision; more than three- fourths of all accident hazards are within 45 degrees of either side of straight ahead.

17. Conspicuity of the motorcycle is most critical for the frontal surfaces of the motorcycle and rider.
18. defects related to accident causation are rare and likely to be due to deficient or defective maintenance.

19. Motorcycle riders between the ages of 16 and 24 are significantly over-represented in accidents; motorcycle riders between the ages of 30 and 50 are significantly under represented. Although the majority of the accident-involved motorcycle riders are male (96%), the female motorcycle riders are significantly over represented in the accident data.

20. Craftsmen, laborers, and students comprise most of the accident-involved motorcycle riders. Professionals, sales workers, and craftsmen are under represented and laborers, students and unemployed are over- represented in the accidents.

21. Motorcycle riders with previous recent traffic citations and accidents are over represented in the accident data.

22. The motorcycle riders involved in accidents are essentially without training; 92% were self-taught or learned from family or friends. Motorcycle rider training experience reduces accident involvement and is related to reduced injuries in the event of accidents.

23. More than half of the accident-involved motorcycle riders had less than 5 months experience on the accident motorcycle, although the total street riding experience was almost 3 years. Motorcycle riders with dirt bike experience are significantly under represented in the accident data.

24. Lack of attention to the driving task is a common factor for the motorcyclist in an accident.

25. Almost half of the fatal accidents show alcohol involvement.

26. Motorcycle riders in these accidents showed significant collision avoidance problems. Most riders would over brake and skid the rear wheel, and under brake the front wheel greatly reducing collision avoidance deceleration. The ability to counter steer and swerve was essentially absent.

27. The typical motorcycle accident allows the motorcyclist just less than 2 seconds to complete all collision avoidance action.

28. Passenger-carrying motorcycles are not over represented in the accident area.

29. The driver of the other vehicles involved in collision with the motorcycle are not distinguished from other accident populations except that the ages of 20 to 29, and beyond 65 are over represented. Also, these drivers are generally unfamiliar with motorcycles.

30. The large displacement motorcycles are under represented in accidents but they are associated with higher injury severity when involved in accidents.

see for additional information: http://www.motorcycle-accidents.com/pages/stats.html

Billy

:smoke I've been following this thread and a lot of good things have been said, but there's one line of thinking here and elsewhere that is really beginning to irritate me, the "I'm a biker, he's not" deal. Who are these "I'm a biker, and they are not" guys trying to convince? In my mind I'm not a biker, in the eyes of my conservative neighbors, I am. Will Prevale's "What other people think of me is none of my business" applies here. And, statistics are for GROUPS, not individuals. Yes, 16-24 year olds have the most accidents, not because they are that age but because many act irresponsibly. That has no application to any particular individual. I'm old (54) and I ride safely and defensively w/full helmet and full armored leather at all times. I take safety courses frequently. There are those of my age who don't ride much, probably shouldn't at all, on the other hand, some people shouldn't leave their homes in the morning! Enough rambling, please stop w/the "I'm a biker, you're not." I consider any brother/sister on two wheels a biker (some safer than others!).

Lefty (in a foul mood for some reason)

I try not to get myself into the situations my youthfull reactions and skill could get me out of once..

Now I don't go into that 40k corner at 100k and just ride the wheels off.
I go in about 60 and accelerate...with enough up my sleeve to avoid most hazzards.

But still as I said in another thread .... the road is a dangerous place because people have too much on their minds to look out for the hazards.....
The easier it is to drive a car or ride a bike the less concentration required .......

That's supposed ta mean ya can concentrate on the hazards more but it doesn't seem to work that way...

The best form of defense in anything is being aware of the problem BEFOREHAND and not being there...



Billy those stats are old.... although still relevant...

The origional question was pertaining to the sudden increase in the death rate of the over 40's

Billy those stats are old.... although still relevant...The origional question was pertaining to the sudden increase in the death rate of the over 40's

Your correct Stevo! When a population increases, so do statistics!

:smoke Harley riders over 40 I'm certain have increased dramatically. Deaths of Harley riders over 40 would logically increase as well. The question is: Has the RATE of deaths increased or just the number of deaths? Did I miss that somewhere earlier?

Lefty