| Author | Message | ||
     R1DynaSquid |
This has to be the worst year I can recall for deaths on bikes. This makes 6 that I can recall for the summer so far. 33 year old guy on a 2002 HD went into a ditch riding with a few friends late at night, police suspect alcohol is involved..duh. The other one hits a lot closer to home for me because the 35 yr old victim is a guy I used to work & ride with. Havent had any contact with him now in about 5 years since he was "let go". Coming home from his job a car pulled out of a driveway in the industrial park. He was airlifted to a hospital in milwaukee where he died. This guy was what I would consider a very cautious rider, not sure what bike he owned now days but he used to own a Pacific Coast & then later on an ST1100. Getting scary out there boys & girls. | ||
| Newfie_buell |
Dyna, When your time is up, I don't think there is anything you can do to prolong it!!! Be careful out there!!! | ||
| Court |
>>>I don't think there is anything you can do to prolong it!!! Nor would I actively hasten it. . . I am sorry to hear of the accident. Court | ||
| Bluelightning |
There was another kid (squid) that was killed the other week doing some stunts. Only had a shirt, and gloves on, was doing some stupid bare assed wheelie and lost it. The whole thing was video taped for some stunt web site. Local news got hold of it and now police are investigating to see if criminal charges can be brought up. The funny thing is that all of his "friends" that were interviewed kept saying that he was a great guy, safe rider and all that stuff. I feel bad for the families of these squids, but God seems to punish the stupid people that don't use common sense.} | ||
| Newfie_buell |
So true Court, Its a fact that the kids/people with the biggest/fastest bikes with the least experience are the ones who end up being the victims. On the other side there is an alarming number of statistics that also show that NEW riders over 40 are have a large number of accidents as well. Apart from having "YOUR RIGHTS" I seriously think there should be some kind of "Graduated Licensing System" in place in all jurisdictions. There was a similar system brought into one of the Provinces here in Canada and bike accidents dropped significantly. | ||
| Daves |
Sorry to hear of more deaths this year. It has been a bad year for that, or so it seems. Newfie, did the accident actually drop or did the number of new riders drop the same amount? More riders= more accidents Less riders= less accidents I often wonder if there are really more accidents this year or because of the internet, we find out about accidents that take place half way across the country. 10 years ago if someone crashed and died, more than 50 or so miles away you would not have known anything about it unless it was a friend or family member. I know there have been some "studies" about his but I am usually suspect of such studies, they usually find out what the group doing them is being paid to prove(one of those "figures don't lie but liars figure" things). I don't know one way or the other, just curious. Dave | ||
| Lake_bueller |
Dave...this might help answer some of the questions. It's taken from the Wisconsin DOT reports. I'd assume there are similar reports from all states. The number of people killed in Wisconsin motorcycle accidents has reached 100 for 2003, the first time since 1986 the state has had that many deaths. Wisconsin reported 78 motorcycle deaths in all of 2002. The DOT has pinpointed several factors that could have caused the increase in motorcycle deaths. Those factors are: A 68.2 percent increase in new motorcycle sales between 1998 and 2002. A 23 percent increase in motorcycle licenses issued in 2002 compared with 1993. Lack of helmet use - 75 of the 100 people killed were not wearing helmets. An increase in vehicle miles of travel by motorcyclists statewide, due to warmer weather in late winter and early spring, or due to increased enthusiasm for riding. About 30 percent of those killed were intoxicated, and 71 percent of the accidents occurred on clear days, according to the DOT. Older riders are increasingly involved in the fatality totals, according to a DOT study. More motorcycle riders (Class M license endorsements up 23% from 1993-2002). An increase in motorcycle sales (new unit sales were up 68.2% from 1998-2002). Almost 40 percent of the motorcycle fatalities occurred in June and March. An analysis by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation also found that older motorcyclists are an increasing proportion of the fatality total: Since 1995, motorcyclists age 45 and older experienced the highest increase in fatalities compared to all other age groups. In 2002, 40 motorcyclists age 45 and older were killed, compared to only 5 in 1995, representing an eight-fold increase. In 2003 (as of 12/3/03), 39 (39.0%) of the motorcyclists killed were age 45 or older. Alcohol related deaths 2003(as of 12/03/03) (100 deaths): 34 (45%) of 82 tested involved alcohol by motorcyclist. 24 (29.3%) of those tested for alcohol were 0.10 or over. Fatalities by motorcycle license type (as of 12/03/03): 56 (59.6%) Motor operators had a class "M" license. 14 (14.9%) Motor operators had a class "D" license( Moped). 13 (13.8%) From out of state 6 (6.4%) Revoked or suspended. 2 (2.1%) Instructional permit. 3 (3.2%) No license. | ||
| Mikej |
I wonder if there is any data on the number of years of riding experience for the crash victims. | ||
| Jmartz |
The absolute number of deaths is an irrelevant figure. Any statistic need adjustment for comparison. For instance, take the atrocious statistic of Haank AArron, "absolute" HR king. Well, 700 HR's per career is not comparable since careers have variable duration. A useful presentation would be HR per at bat. In the motorcycle world accident rate has to be expressd in terms of vehicle mile traveled or some other comparable quantity. Total deaths in a year tells us very little about safety. | ||
| Newfie_buell |
Dave, They are some stats we use in the Motorcycle Training Course (MSF equivalent) here on the island. We don't have our own to us as it is very little. We only have about 1-2 deaths per year due to motorcycles, HOWEVER, public education is very poor with respect to ATV use. We have many more deaths caused by ATV accidents. The main cause is lack of helmets, head injuries - seems people think because its got 4 wheels you don't need to wear one. The stats are coming from Ontario where they saw an increase in the over 40 single vehicle motorcycle accident rates the past few years. It seems that people now have some kind of disposable income when you get to that age and they are doing what they always dreamed of. Buying a bike and riding in a lot of cases. The course is also mandatory in Ontario (I think - maybe someone from there can confirm) and since that the death/accident rate has also decreased. That province also has rules governing how and where you can ride based on your riding years experience. One time our course used to have a lot of young kids (under 25) but now the average age is 38 or so and almost 50% are women. Last year I once had a first time rider tell me he had an accident on his Electra Glide in the spring as the weather was getting nice. Apparently he lost it on a curve and drove straight out into the woods, luckily there was snow in the ditch which saved both him and the bike. After our Curves Lesson he came to me and commented he now understood how he crashed earlier in the year. He did not know what to expect when a bike leaned, looked at the trees, panicked and next thing he knew he was in the ditch. Rider education and common sense are great things, some of us are lucky enough to get a second chance others are not. Ride safe and be careful. I don't need to tell you that bike sales are way up as well!!! | ||
| Rockbiter1 |
This weekend, Minot AFB had a Lt Col die, while TEACHING the MSF course...don't have specifics, but the Ly Col used to be here on my base...also had (from what i heard from my boss this morning) 4 motorcycle deaths here in Shreveport/bossier this weekend... too many of these kids get the fastest bike they can finance, and jump on with t-shirts and flipflops... One of the riders in my squadron went to work today wearing one of those chrome plated "kaiser" helmets...you know, the "for show use only" german-style helmets. Not DOT approved, which means he's violating military orders by wearing it..when I figure out who he is, I'm gonna chew his ••• good...and prolly write him up...We are losing too many of our folks to stupid mistakes. I'm all for pro-choice when it comes to helmets, i'm not a helmet nazi (so to speak), but i do believe in thier ability to mitigate head injuries. That, and the military (along with state law) says I will wear an approved helmet... I'm rambling again aren't I? gotta remember to take my medication more often i guess.... |
