new motorcycle accident statistics study?
Published by Crystal September 5th, 2006 in accidents, safety.
Deemed the first comprehensive motorcycle crash statistic report, the 1981 Hurt Report proved, among other facts, that motorists turning into the path of motorcycles, claiming not to see them, were often to blame for collisions. The report also found that it was typical for serious and fatal car-motorcycle wrecks to happen at an average speed of only 22 mph. More of the Hurt report can be read here [PDF], and it is often quoted in instructional books like Proficient Motorcycling (click the photo for more info).
Now, according to a recent article in The Columbian newspaper (Clark County, WA), the American Motorcyclist Association is pushing for a new study.
With the growing population of motorcyclists hitting the road, accidents are also increasing.
Since hitting a historic low of 2,116 fatalities in 1997, the number [of motorcycle accidents] has steadily climbed, to 4,008 in 2004. At the same time, despite increases in the number of automobiles on the highways, passenger-vehicle fatalities have hovered around 32,000 a year.
Along with these growing numbers is an increase in interest by riders in safety classes (with 40 percent of the attendees being women):
Organizers of safety classes, long advocated as crucial for new and returning motorcyclists alike, say demand has never been higher.
I don’t think it’s very difficult to understand that ever since the “urban” population discovered the joys of hyperspeed-capable sport bikes that motorcycle accident rates have climbed drastically. I remember quite clearly that back when I started riding in the late 1980’s motorcycles simply didn’t attract the same sort of crowd. Nowadays, it is quite the common site to see packs of “urban” sportbike riders blasting aggressively down the highways and otherwise riding in a unsafe manner.