Top 3 factors in Motorcycle Traffic Fatalities

[burkbuilds]

I had to write a research paper for English Composition class last year, this was my topic, hope it makes you think about eliminating the top three from your life, ride safe, ride long.


Major Factors in Motorcycle Traffic Fatalities
One of the most widely held beliefs about motorcycle safety is that wearing a helmet has the greatest impact on motorcycle traffic fatalities. Unfortunately, this popular, simple solution is not supported by the statistics which show motorcyclists killed in accidents in 2006 were wearing a helmet 57.4% of the time (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration [NHTSA], Traffic safety facts 2006, 2008). This is almost exactly the estimated percentage of riders who wear helmets overall, 58% (Houston, D.J., and Richardson, L.E., 2004). Since motorcyclists are killed at a rate of more than 16 times that of automobile drivers per million miles traveled (NHTSA, Action plan to reduce motorcycle fatalities, 2007), prevention of accidents should be the major focus of efforts to save motorcyclists lives. The three leading factors in motorcycle traffic fatalities are alcohol use, speeding, and a lack of proper licensing (NHTSA, Recent trends in fatal motorcycle crashes, 2001).

Elevated blood alcohol levels were recorded in 61% of fatal motorcycle crashes in 2006 (NHTSA, Traffic safety facts 2006, 2008). As far back as 1977, reports of high blood alcohol concentrations were being noted in traffic accidents involving motorcycles. One small study of fatal crashes in Maryland found 72 of 102 operators had a measurable blood alcohol level, with 50% meeting the then legal standard of 0.10 for being drunk (Baker, S.P., and Fisher, R.S., 1977). Considering the essential need for balance, quick reflexes, and sound decision making necessary to avoid accidents, it should not be surprising that an elevated blood alcohol level is the major contributing factor in multi-vehicle motorcycle fatalities. Even in single vehicle fatal motorcycle crashes, which make up approximately 45% of all fatal motorcycle accidents, over 42 percent of the operators who died in 1999 were intoxicated (NHTSA, Fatal single vehicle motorcycle crashes, 2001). Alcohol use increases the chance of being in a fatal motorcycle accident more than any other factor and is the highest contributing factor in all types of motorcycle accidents.

Although alcohol use is number one among contributing factors to motorcycle crash fatalities, speeding is the second leading factor. 41% of all motorcyclists involved in fatal crashes were speeding. That is more than double the rate for drivers of passenger cars or light trucks. This statistic holds true whether the crash involves multiple vehicles or a single vehicle. (NHTSA, Fatal single vehicle motorcycle crashes, 2001). Taking into account other criteria, such as single vehicle fatalities involving nighttime driving, the percent of deaths associated with speeding climbs to 60 percent (NHTSA, Fatal single vehicle motorcycle crashes, 2001). As any experienced rider will testify, quick maneuvers at high speeds can cause a loss of control beyond recovery, whether that involves hard braking, steering to avoid an obstacle, or striking an uneven surface that may cause the bike to bounce or change direction suddenly. “Speed Kills” is even truer for motorcycles than cars!

After the use of alcohol and speeding, a lack of proper licensing shows up as the third most common factor cited among motorcycle traffic fatalities, 24%(NHTSA , Fatal two-vehicle motorcycle crashes, 2007). Although it may be obvious how alcohol and speeding contribute to these numbers, it is less apparent how the lack of proper licensing contributes. Gaining proper licensing to operate a motorcycle in most states requires the applicant to take and pass a written test ensuring a basic understanding of road rules and the unique dangers that a motorcyclist may encounter while riding. The state of Georgia, for instance, will issue a learners permit for those passing the written test. This permit allows operators to practice driving up to six months with some stipulations, which are designed to insulate learners from some of the more challenging driving situations. They are not allowed to drive after dark, on the interstate highway system, or to carry passengers until they have passed a road test. Most states require passing a road test that demonstrates basic skills such as hard braking without loss of control, steering to avoid an obstacle, and the ability to stay inside of designated lanes in a curved section of roadway. Some states even require passing a motorcycle safety course before you can obtain a license. These stipulations help to insure that operators of motorcycles have received basic education and passed minimal skills tests that can help prevent them from being in an accident. A good example for the need of proper training comes from my cousin “Ken,” a safe car driver for over 40 years, who decided to purchase a brand new motorcycle. Although he has never ridden before, he did not seek proper licensing or any training before purchasing the bike. He bought the motorcycle, jumped on, cranked it up, drove out of the Harley dealer’s parking lot straight across the street and crashed into the ditch. Fortunately, he only injured his pride and the front wheel of the bike. The point is, he was not properly licensed, had received no training, and subsequently was involved in an accident within his first minute of riding. A few weekends spent at a motorcycle safety training class should enable him to obtain proper licensing, and more importantly, gain the skills necessary to drive safely and avoid future accidents.

Many other factors contribute to the fatality rates of motorcycle riders, but alcohol use, speeding, and proper training are the three that not only contribute to the most fatalities, they are also factors controllable by the operator. There is very little that can be done to limit injury to the motorcyclist in a collision. The truth is, in a high speed motorcycle accident, serious injury or fatality is the most likely outcome no matter what protective gear is worn. As two researchers noted, “…if you were in an airplane plummeting towards the ground from 30,000 feet, whether or not you buckled your seatbelt would be relatively meaningless to your odds of surviving the crash” (Stolzenberg, L., and D’Alessio, S. J., 2003, p. 145). Don’t drink and drive, slow down, take a motorcycle safety class, and enjoy many years of accident free motorcycle riding.
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References
Baker, S.P., & Fisher R.S. (1977). Alcohol and motorcycle fatalities. American Journal of Public Health 67(3), 246-249.

Houston, D. J., & Richardson, L.E. (2004). Motorcycle safety and the repeal of universal helmet laws. American Journal of Public Health, 97(11) 2063-2069

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. (2008). Traffic safety facts 2006. DOT-HS-810-818. Retrieved August 25, 2008, from http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/portal/site/nhtsa/ncsa

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. (2007). Fatal two-vehicle motorcycle crashes. DOT-HS-810-834. Retrieved August 31, 2008, from http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/portal/site/nhtsa/ncsa

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. (2007) Action plan to reduce motorcycle fatalities. DOT-HS-810-855. Retrieved August 25, 2008, from http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. (2001). Fatal single vehicle motorcycle crashes. DOT-HS-809-360. Retrieved August 31, 2008, from http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/pubs

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. (2001). Recent trends in fatal motorcycle crashes. DOT-HS-809-271. Retrieved August 31, 2008, from http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/pubs

Stolzenberg, L., & D’Alessio, S.J. (2003). Born to be wild. Evaluation Review 27(2), 131-150.

[Easy Rider]

Originally Posted by burkbuilds

Don’t drink and drive, slow down, take a motorcycle safety class, and enjoy many years of accident free motorcycle riding.

WOW. A factual post and with references, no less.
And a VERY useful one, at that.
Thank you sir!
Your paper gets an A+ in my book. :rawk:

I do have a question. Do you have the overall data, showing how many (percentage) of the accidents involved at least one of those factors versus the ones where none of those three appeared to be a factor?
I'm sitting here thinking that maybe that's in there already and I just have to add up the numbers you gave........but it's late, I'm tired and not a happy camper at the moment.

I, for one, appreciate you taking the time to share this information with us.

[David Bo]

Great post my friend... It really amazes me how many motorcycles I see every weekend parked outside many local bars in my community. I can not imagine drinking beer all afternoon with my buddies and then have to "balance" a motorcycle on the ride home. Drinking and then driving a car is one of the stupided things people can do. Drinking and then driving a motorcycle is suicide!

[burkbuilds]

Easy Rider, there are so many statistical pages that I read for this I really can't remember the answer to your question. Several of the reports I referenced are over 100 pages of stats each! If you actually go and read the statistics that the nhtsa compiles each year ( www.nhtsa.dot.gov ) you'd be amazed at what is in there. It's also very interesting to see how often people quote these reports to back up their articles promoting whatever they favor, and then when you actually read the statistics you find that they have picked items from several different catagories, or left out important variables that are contained in the reports, and they present their point of view as being backed up by the nhtsa report, when oftentimes the report from the nhtsa doesn't validate. (Dad said, "figures don't lie, but liars figure!")
By the way, I had to compress this report down for my class submission because the professors don't have time to read really long reports from all their students so they limit how many words our reports can have. I could have easily written 3-4 times this much with all the statistics that are available, but I think the points get across pretty good in this short form, and who wants to read that much statistical evidence anyway? Thanks for the kind words, and I did get an A on this one!

[alanmcorcoran]

David,

I was surprised to see that you didn't have "Proficient Motorcycling" in your list of references. If you have chance (and $25) I highly recommend you pick up this book from Amazon or the local bookstore. The 2008 edition is not only jam packed with really useful MC riding info, it's, well, a beautiful book! Great photos, diagrams, paper. It's really very well put together.

David Hough opens the book with a description of a pretty horrific accident and then dives right into the same statistics that you cited above (and pretty much comes to the same conclusions.) He digs a little deeper than the stats and goes a little beyond some of their conclusions (such as noting that many non-fatal single MC accidents go non reported, big bike vs non big bike, and (dare I say it) some criticism of recent changes to the MSF (he is a former MSF instructor.)

Anyway, I buy (and read) a lot of books, and many, especially when they come to things like skiing, swimming and racquetball (and the like), are poorly written, poorly organized and difficult to get anything other than the obvious from. Not true with "Proficient." It's extremely well written (even humorous and interesting!) yet, it is chock full of very simple, easy to use info on every page, with detailed illustrations, photos, etc. Highly recommended.

(I just reread the section on cornering, throttle control, etc. and it is spot on.)

[patrick_777]

Moved this to Safety and stuck it.

[Blackbird]

Good job on this article. I just completed a 2 weekend MSF course and think that it was an eye opener for those who took it with me. I had ridden before and took this course with my wife to get my endorsement again. Some of the people in my class already bought a bike and were thinking it was a no brainer. Of the 12 people in my group, only 4 passed (me included). The course discuses alcohol abuse, speeding and of course stresses safety.
Even if you have ridden before and then come back to biking, it is a good idea to take this program. It will open your eyes to how unprepared you might be to be on the rode. By the way ... beer is the most likely alcohol to be involved in a bikers accident, not mixed drinks or wine or whiskey. So be careful at those summer picnics!

[molly]

I drink, and I ride. But NEVER at the same time! If I will be riding,(or driving the cage) i do not drink....PERIOD! I might hang out at a bar all afternoon, but i drink water or diet soda. I can still shoot pool and have fun, and when I leave, I know I am safe to ride or drive.

[alanmcorcoran]

If you are not a drinker, and you don't get hit by a drinker, the two things I've seen cited most likely to take you out are:

1) Left turn in front of you by a cage that "didn't see" you. I always approach intersections as life and death situations.
2) Overshooting a curve. Guardrails may sometimes keep cars from going over cliffs, but apparently they are not kind to bikers.

I read the motorcycle accident/death news pretty regular-like (there's one out here pretty much daily.) The left turn ones are often fatal. The single vehicle ones usually say "lost control of his motorcycle." I suspect what often happens is "going too fast for the conditions and his experience level."

Be careful if one of your buddies goes down. A couple of sad stories out here involved one biker going down and another getting injured or killed when going to his aid. Not sure how this is best handled, but despite the gravity of the situation, keep in mind most people are not prepared to stop when they come up on a downed bike or biker.

[Easy Rider]

Originally Posted by alanmcorcoran

1) Left turn in front of you by a cage that "didn't see" you. I always approach intersections as life and death situations.

Add parking lots to that list; people looking for a parking space often are blind to bikes.
My one and only (knock on wood) bike accident was in a parking lot at about 5 mph.
Well, that is if you don't count the time or two that I've dropped a bike at 0 mph. :roll: