The new statistics for vehicle accidents were released a few days ago and the roads are getting safer for all vehicles except motorcycles. Vehicle fatalities declined for all vehicle types except motorcycles which increased. Everyone has their own idea of why fatalities increased, but until an actual study is conducted we won’t know for sure. The MSF (Motorcycle Safety Foundation) is calling for a Motorcycle Crash Causation study to investigate.
MSF President Tim Buche reiterated that, “We hope that this new field research, the first definitive crash causation study to be done in the United States in almost 30 years, will shed new light on the causes of crashes on our nation’s highways. Knowledge gained from this study may help all of us concerned with rider safety to develop even more effective countermeasures to enhance the safety of motorcyclists everywhere. But we won’t know until the study, which will be a long and thorough process, has been conducted.
Everyone who rides knows the dangers of oblivious drivers turning into their path but far too many single vehicle accidents show no one to blame except the rider. The results of the study should be interesting.
In the mean time, go through the MSF rider training if you haven’t already done so, it’s a good basis for safe riding and may show you a few things you don’t already know. You might also unlearn a few bad habits. Keep your eyes open and your brain engaged.
Link: MSF
Dresden says
Unfortunately most of my friends have been in accidents in the past few years. I’d say the majority have been hit by other drives who weren’t paying attention, while 1 was just being a moron and going too fast.
I’ve had the closest calls with idiots who are too busy talking on the phone.
Spartandude says
Hmm…I am looking forward to the results. My guess is that excess speed, alcohol, and lack of protection are probably highest on the single vehicle fault fatalities. After commuting in Houston on my 600cc Shadow for the last 8 months I think auto/truck driver inattention is the primary cause of the fatalities. Even with my reflective vest I usually have 3 to 4 incidents per week that road shoulder and bike horn use keep me from being another statistic. – Rubber side down and peace.
Nicolas says
Lot of motorcyclist casualties on the other side of the Atlantic ocean, but I remember an interesting study conducted all over Europe around 5 years ago, that showed only 30% of the overall accidents involving a motorcycle were actually caused by the motorcyclist.
I moved to the US a few years ago, but also remember we motorcyclist used to kick mirrors and car doors when an uncivility was done against us … of course back there people don’t carry guns in their cars and don’t sue each other for no reason … It’s not always smart to kick someone but it’s very efficiently helping to educate the cell phone idiot, and its also helping to vent out the near death experience.
Shaine says
I’d like to see an age range for the accidents. I’d support a graduated system; why does a brand new rider need a big power motorcycle. Start out on the smaller bikes and work your way up. I did, most of my friends did. I think there should be some extra testing before you get the high-powered bikes,most of us have our amateur racing license – a few hundred bucks to play for a day at the track with real professional racing instructers to correct your mistakes… It has made us all better riders. We still have had wipes, deer hits, and the occasional sleepy (phone booth) car; but we had climbed our way up to the bigger bikes – not rocketed past and into a parked car.
Chris says
I haven’t seen the actual stats, but what I suspect the MSF is talking about here is pretty simple to explain. Motorcycle fatalities overall are way up because gas prices have increased motorcycle readership. Couple that with the lack of helmet usage in many states that are newly without helmet laws and it’s pretty easy to see why the total deaths would be way up.
I don’t know if deaths per miles ridden have actually increased or not. The New York Times ran a piece a while back that discussed a study concerning death rates on motorcycles in states with and without helmet laws. Surprise, surprise, states without helmet laws had much higher death rates among motorcycle riders than states that require helmets, and states that revoked their helmet laws in the last few years showed a dramatically increased death rate compared to when their helmet laws were still on the books.
Of course, all that is a rather inconvenient truth to the MSF, which has led the campaign against helmet laws in several states. I find it supremely ironic that a nonprofit “safety” foundation would lead campaigns *against* the single simplest safety feature any rider can use.
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B. Case says
Great, a study about what’s wrong with motorcycles. That makes a lot of sense! Isn’t it obvious that American transportation infrastructure needs to start acknowledging the existence of motorcycles as viable transport??
Have you ever ridden by a lengthy piece of 2×4 lumber in the middle of the highway and wondered “Geez, if I would have hit that, I’d be dead!!”?? Not a big deal for a car or truck. But I wonder why there isn’t more dedicated road crews sent out to patrol roads for safety hazards??
How about dedicated, half-width, motorcycle lanes in cities AND highways? Heck, even just better road maintenance would be a start. I’ve even had a few expansion gaps catch me off guard.
Or how about changing the design of ALL jersey barriers, so that when a two-wheeled vehicle hits the bottom angle designed to re-direct cars and trucks back to safety, the rider doesn’t get catapulted to severe injury or death??
And yes, people in cages on cell phones are a big part of the problem for lack of attention on our roads. Where are those studies??
kneeslider says
Chris – “a rather inconvenient truth to the MSF, which has led the campaign against helmet laws in several states”
… You may want to check your organizations on that one, I don’t believe the MSF ever campaigned against helmet laws. ABATE or the AMA might be your targets.
B.Case, I don’t think the MSF is hostile to motorcycles with this study, they may be looking for some current data to identify the issues. Your points about infrastructure are well taken but without data to further explain the statistics, it’s hard to argue against the anti motorcycle crowd.
Chris M. says
I agree with Shaine. I think everyone should start out on smaller bikes and go up from there. I did, also. In fact, I am not against a step type license for motorcyclist. Say your first bike (no matter your age) can only be a certain cc. Then after a year or so you can move up to a larger displacement bike. After another year or so you can ride whatever you want. Just my 2 cents.
PaulN says
I would be interested to see what is going on, but as mentioned before, these studies have already been done in other countries. Why can’t we use that data as a baseline?
I have seen a huge increase in riders lately, no doubt related to gas prices. The number of obvious noobies on perfect vintage UJMs is a little scary, especially when I haven’t seen one with proper gear. Most have hemlets, and a few have jackets, but penny loafers and Dockers won’t prevent much road rash.
My vote for the increase in fatalities links right to this group riders. I love seeing more bikes, but I think they are seriously underestimating both the power of the machines that they are riding, and their own abilities.
Jon says
The best piece of safety equipment is the mush between the ears.
I suspect a lot of the fatalities can be attributed to: No helmet, no license, new riders on too powerful a bike, and alcohol.
Jeff says
Well …I support the graduated license I think it is a good Idea. Not only do I see helmetless riders on all types of bikes but lately in my city I have seen the increase of scooter riders in shorts flip flops and no helmets and riding to beat the bandit . That reflects on all of us .
FREEMAN says
I have no doubt it’s related to gas prices. Some of the morons that drive cars/trucks are now riding, hence the increase in motorcycle fatalities and decrease in other incidents. If you can’t handle a two-ton vehicle responsibly, then how can you expect to handle a motorcycle responsibly?
Thruxton-Texas says
The causes of more accidents and/or fatalities are (in no particular order), idiots on cell phones, the “me first” attitude among the cagers, drunks/drugs, the “if some’s good, more’s gooder” attitude when it comes to larger/more powerful bikes for beginners(dealers share some of the blame),those with no licence or training, and last but not least no HELMETS or other protective gear. In my opinion, states should pass mandatory helmet laws(3/4 or full face, no half helmets), require at minimum, long pants,long sleeves,gloves and boots. What are people thinking (a charitable assumption on my part) when they ride with sneakers,shorts, tank-top and no helmet?? This demonstrates a disturbing lack of judgement; if they won’t look out for their own safety, I can’t trust them to look out for the safety of others! They don’t deserve the PRIVILEDGE of driving/riding, PERIOD.
JC says
“Have you ever ridden by a lengthy piece of 2×4 lumber in the middle of the highway and wondered “Geez, if I would have hit that, I’d be dead!!â€?”
Ummm, you learn that in the MSF class, and not in the classroom. It used to be taught with a 4×4. It’s quite easy if you know what to do and don’t panic.
I see many new riders who think a 600cc ~100hp sport bike is a “beginner bike”
Spaceweasel says
I think the replies thus far are indicative of why a new study is a good idea. Everybody has opinions of what the dangers are out there, but hard numbers will help us seperate what hacks us off from what does us in.
I’ve heard people blame cagers, helmets, lack of helmets, drinking, lack of training, the wrong training, beginners on bikes, returning bikers, bikes that are too big, scooters that are too small, etc. I’m all for somebody actually crunching the numbers so that we can come up with sensible, viable solutions.
Tommy says
This is interesting. I wonder how many would be due to road conditions. I crashed on the 5 freeway last summer on my way from LA to san fran. Hit a pothole, got the speed wobbles, hit another pothole, laid it down.
Sure, I take some of the fault. Maybe I wasnt paying enough attention and could have noticed it earlier, maybe I should have known better than to ride in the right line where the road wasnt as smooth, but that stretch of road was full of potholes.
When I made the trip in a car about 6 months later, that stretch of road had been completely repaved. I am sure I wasnt the only one who could have had an incident like this. In fact, the semi driver who stopped to help me said he had seen another biker go down on the same stretch, all on his own.
Makes me wish I would have take pics of the pothole and tried to sue the city after my insurance company screwed me over, but at the time I was like thats not my style. I have full coverage, I will be fine. Nope.
Like B. case said, there really should be more road maintance with motorcycles in mind. Especially in cities like LA and SF that have a larger bike population that can ride year round. I mean really, I know all of us have rode along and saw something in the road whether it be a pothole or truck tires and thought that could have taken my life if I missed seeing it.
Jeff says
Crunching numbers doesn’t change human behavior .
FREEMAN says
I believe that ultimately, everyone should be held accountable for their own actions. It’s not the state’s fault just because helmets or hands-free devices may not be required by law. He/she that is i
FREEMAN says
n control of their vehicle should take the responsibility to drive safely.
jabu.coffee says
I’ve been in two serious accidents, and countless near misses and tho i was going fast, motorist are the problem,they are the ones at fault, they see the bike and try take the ‘gap’ which isnt there often cause they’ve never driven a bike and dont understand how fast they are
B. Case says
“Ummm, you learn that in the MSF class, and not in the classroom. It used to be taught with a 4×4. It’s quite easy if you know what to do and don’t panic.”
Yeah, and the same goes for roadkill. But, that’s only if you SEE the obstacle in time to react. I ride very safe, defensive, and I allow plenty of distance following other vehicles. But, up until this point, I attribute my not hitting any skewed planks of wood (or truck tire carcasses) to just being lucky.
I guess I can see the point of needing a better study in this instance. The studies NHTSA has been doing for years obviously haven’t changed much. And if better rider education is the only thing that comes from it, then so be it. But, how is having better road crews a BAD idea? Perhaps a rider-supported non-profit sort of thing.
mmsv45 says
I hope it will highlight the road construction dangers to motorcyclists. Specifically guardrails in turns. The guardrail may keep an automobile from going over the edge, but if a bike goes down, the guardrail supports could easily sever a body part.
Also, road repairs in progress can be very dangerous to motorcyclists. For example, a 3″ drop from lane to lane is no big deal to an automobile, but it’s a big deal for a motorcyclist.
And I find it interesting that pretty much every country in the world except for the U.S. has two white lines at intersections: one for cars and one closer to the intersection for motorcycles. While cars are stopped at the first white line, motorcycles filter up between cars to the second white line. When the light turns green the motorcycles accelerate out of the way of the cars behind them. No one is slowed down and traffic should be decreased as more ride motorcycles to gain this advantage at intersections.
This is not quite as dangerous as lane-splitting in moving traffic, but it should help reduce traffic and minimize the risk.
And all it would take is some legislation and some paint.
mark says
Its good to see the interest growing in Motorcycle safety and yes crunching number will do more good than harm. Finding the major reasons for motorcycle accidents is the first step in reducing the numbers. I look forward to the results and I hope it consists of comprehensive testing.
Hawk says
Every motorcyclist who rides has a heightened awareness of traffic or we wouldn’t survive. Our observation and attention skills MUST be 100% ALL the time. Ok fine, we all know this, right? But let’s look at some other factors:
Insurance. Most insurance companies still base premiums on engine size. This measurement went out with the dark ages. When a kid on a 600cc crotch rocket is doing 100MPH wheelies as opposed to the guy riding a 1200 to 2300 cruiser …. Well, my point exactly. Insurance is covering two things really:-
One, the replacement cost of the vehicle and
Two, the risk factor imposed by the rider.
The first one can be determined by a quick phone call to a dealer. The second resides between the rider’s ears. Age, wisdom, experience, training…. all of that means nothing if the rider is careful and attentive as opposed to being an idiot. Base premiums on demonstrated history, eh?
No matter where you look in the world, US, Canada, Australia, Europe, South Africa … the statistics show that 74 to 76% of automobile/bike crashes occur when the automobile takes the bike’s right-of-way (i.e. Turning left in front of the oncoming bike). Why? Why does this not vary?
The only logical explanation I’ve ever heard was in an article I read several years ago but can no longer find. The thrust of this article was that we are all animals on the face of the earth and our basic survival instincts are, “Flight or fight”. Take the case of you driving along and coming upon a 400 ton earth mover in the opposite direction. There is a distinct knot in your stomach knowing that it could squish you like a bug without so much as a bump. Ok, so move down the food chain – the large semi, large truck, big SUV, car, motorcycle, bicycle and pedestrian. Each one is presenting less and less of a threat to our personal wellbeing. Not in our conscious mind but in our basic instinct of survival. We see the person, vehicle or whatever but our minds don’t regard it as a threat … so it doesn’t register! “Oh gee officer, I never saw him” wears pretty thin doesn’t it? BTW – If anyone ever finds this article, I’d love to have it!
This, coupled with a basic lack of courtesy, has produced a very dangerous environment out there. People think nothing of yakking on the cell, grooming, eating and drinking, changing the CD or radio, tending the kids in the back seat while rushing to some appointment because they were delayed. Do we need more laws? Why not enforce the ones we have such as “Driving without due care and attentionâ€, “Driving to the common danger†and so on? Our courts are overloaded as are our police resources so, unless you cause an accident or really piss the officer off, chances of being tagged are slim.
We get bye by being “diligent†and “better†than the next guy snug in our cages. But motorcyclists are still at risk if we don’t mind-read the idiot and stay away from them. All the training in the world won’t help if our survival instincts are compromised.
All we can do is, “Be careful out thereâ€, but is it enough?
FREEMAN says
I knew a guy that went to India for two weeks with a large group and cruised all over India on brand new Royal Enfields. In India, they have gravel roads that are tended by women with brushes, crazy bus drivers that are paid by the customer and blow past everyone only to slam on the brakes to make that bus stop, and everybody lane shares wether they’re driving a truck or a moped. At rail road crossings, the traffic builds up in both the ongoing and incoming lanes and even the shoulders on both sides of the track as the train passes by. Once the train passes the two sides blend together, traffic resumes, and nobody gets hurt. Cows are sacred and walk wherever they please, even into traffic. Many motorcyclists there ride with their whole family on the bike at once since it’s their only mode of transportation. I think the most he saw on a motorcycle at once was six people. Nobody wears helmets.
The only people he saw in accidents while he was there were members of the group on their Royal Enfields.
OMMAG says
“Knowledge gained from this study may help all of us concerned with rider safety to develop even more effective countermeasures to enhance the safety of motorcyclists everywhere. “
What this means is government bureaucrats deciding what you can and cannot ride.
Why would anyone in their right mind be excited about such prospect?
Sasha says
I’ve been riding about eight years. I started out on a 750 Honda, and, despite the MSF class, I’ve had my share of accidents. All but one on that first bike, in the first couple years. Now, I ride around on a 125cc Hyosung single lung, because it’s all I need. I’m living in Asia, and it’s an average bike here. Drivers here are crazy and erratic, but I never wear a helmet or anything other than shorts and sandals. You know why? Because, through experience, I’ve come to realize what causes crashes. 1) Poor equipment 2) Not paying attention 3) Stress/not being focused 4) Excessive Speed 5) Inebriation. I don’t wear protective gear because I have no intention of getting in an accident.
To those who say that most accidents are caused by other drivers – hogwash. There is NEVER a situation that you cannot exert enough control over to avoid an accident. If you drive intelligently, always staying 110% alert and you know your machine, you should NEVER get in an accident. Even if it is technically the other guy’s fault, if the cage did something illegal, stupid or erratic, it doesn’t matter. It might matter to the police, but it shouldn’t matter to you. You should ALWAYS expect erratic behaviour from cars, and always be prepared to avoid it.
So, to those who say that the law should mandate long pants and whatnot, your concern is entirely misplaced. Why empower the state to rob you of $$$ because they are concerned with your safety? I might not be opposed to some idea of provisional license, with HP restrictions and gear mandates. I say, more people should learn how to ride and take responsibility for their own safety. Helmets don’t save nearly as many lives as skillful and careful riding does.
B.Case says
Sasha- yes it helps to be more attentive and experienced to avoid dangers. However, I reject your premise and conclusion. “Don’t intend to get in an accident”?? Who “intends” to get in an accident?? That’s why they’re called “accidents”!
Ignorance is bliss as they say. So, if a rider doesn’t want to wear protective gear, then I don’t feel I have the right to force them to, nor should any legislation. Nor should I be forced to feel like I’m any less experienced because I choose to cover every inch of skin and wear 2 inches of polystyrene on my head.
“Excessive speed”? You can crack your head open by falling in a parking lot. Here’s a running experiment for you: Find a brick wall and stand about 25 feet from it. Throw back a Red Bull, then start running as fast as you can towards the wall. When you get up to about 11mph, extend both your arms out in front of you, lock your elbows and prepare for impact. If your arms don’t rip straight through your shoulderblades and fall off, then you are some sort of super hero.
This is also a good experiment for people who think they can not wear a seatbelt and catch themselves on the dashboard in a crash.
motoxyogi says
Lot of good points have been stated above and i’d to add my bit or two.
Yes there should be a limit on how large or what kinda power to weight ratio should be allowed to a new rider on the road. 600 supersports are too much for your average noob but on the same note a small 125 is just too small for a unexperienced beginner as well. Find yourself coming out of a corner in the wrong gear with some ass plowing through in his beemer. I’d rather have a few more cubes on my side. Thats my opinion anyway.
Sasha says
B.Case – Of course, there’s nothing at all wrong at wearing full protective gear, and I don’t look down on anybody who does, especially if they’re on a more powerful machine, on roads they don’t know, or going fast.
What I’m saying is – I don’t want to be punished, in terms of loss of money or loss of freedom, for someone else’s mistake. I accept full responsibility for my life and the results of my actions. I’ve never accepted assistance from any charity or government (other than student loans back in college), and I don’t want to be punished if they don’t feel I’m properly protecting myself.
On a side note, when I ride without a helmet, I feel hyper alert..a certain “six sense” kicks in, you know? I can sometimes sense cars coming around a bend before I can see or hear them, just because..I know that if I wipe out, I’m a goner.
As for speed-well sure, if you trip on a rock and fall at 5MPH it will hurt. And motorcycle racers with proper gear can take a spill at 100 and be fine (I, in fact, have). I’m not talking about reducing speed to make the accident worse – I’m saying that driving slowly is a terrific way to reduce your chance of getting in an accident. It’s not as much fun, but neither is traction.
farmbiker says
There doesn’t need to be another crash study. A lot of beginners get into trouble because of lack of skill yet the MSF ciriculum does not explicitly recommend ongoing drills and exercises. They could change that.
rafe03 says
What about the HURT Report? It investigated every 5th(?) accident involving a motorcycle in a large US city (LA?) One of the motorcycle mags printed an article on the 5th year (?) report. The only thing that I remember is that ANY helmet is better than no helmet!
The investigation was to go on for a long time, several years more. Does this extensive investigation already contain the data that is needed? Anybody seen a recent report? Is it over now? Is the data still valid? Has there been any benefits derived therefrom or are we imune to safety suggestions?!
rafe03