Motorcycle Accidents

Motorcycle Accidents

According to the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), in 2006, 13.10 cars out of 100,000 ended up in fatal crashes. The rate for motorcycles is 72.34 per 100,000 registered motorcycles.[1] Motorcycles also have a higher fatality rate per unit of distance traveled when compared with automobiles. Per vehicle mile traveled, motorcyclists' risk of a fatal crash is 35 times greater than a passenger car.[1] In 2004, figures from the UK Department for Transport indicated that motorcycles have 16 times the rate of serious injuries compared to cars.[2]
A national study by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATS) found that:

• Motorcycle rider death rates increased among all rider age groups between 1998 and 2000
• Motorcycle rider deaths were nearly 30 times more than drivers of other vehicles
• Motorcycle riders aged below 40 are 36 times more likely to be killed than other vehicle operators of the same age.
• Motorcycle riders aged 40 years and over are around 20 times more likely to be killed than other drivers of that same age.[3] According to 2005 data from the NHTSA, 4,008 motorcycle riders were killed on United States roads in 2004, an 8% increase from 2003.[4] During that same period, drivers of automobiles showed a 10% increase in fatalities, while cyclists showed an 8% increase in fatalities. Pedestrians also showed a 10% increase in fatalities. A total of 37,304 automobile occupants were killed on U.S. roads in 2004.[5] Additional data from the United States reveals that there are over four million motorcycles registered in the United States. Motorcycle fatalities represent approximately five percent of all highway fatalities each year, yet motorcycles represent just two percent of all registered vehicles in the United States. One of the main reasons motorcyclists are killed in crashes is because the motorcycle itself provides virtually no protection in a crash. For example, approximately 80 percent of reported motorcycle crashes result in injury or death; a comparable figure for automobiles is about 20 percent.

In 2005, 4,553 motorcyclists were killed and an additional 87,000 were injured in traffic crashes in the United States — 13 percent more than the 4,028 motorcyclist fatalities and 14 percent more than the 76,000 motorcyclist injuries reported in 2004.

A total of 4,295 motorcyclists died in crashes in 2014. Motorcyclist deaths had been declining since the early 1980s but began to increase in 1998 and continued to increase through 2008. Motorcyclist deaths decreased by 16 percent in 2009 compared with 2008 and increased slightly in 2010, 2011, and 2012 before declining in 2013 and 2014. Motorcycle deaths accounted for 13 percent of all motor vehicle crash deaths in 2014 and were more than double the number of motorcyclist deaths in 1997.

United States motorcycle fatalities increased every year for 11 years after reaching a historic low of 2,116 fatalities in 1997, then increased to over 5,000 around 2008 and then plateaued in the 4 to 5 thousands range in the 2010s. In nine years motorcycle deaths more than doubled from the late 1990s to 2008. Despite providing less than 1% of miles driven, they made up 15% of traffic deaths in 2012.

Since about 2004 over 4,000 people have died every year up to 2014 in motorcycle accidents, and in 2007 and 2008 deaths exceeded 5000 per year. At the same time occupant deaths of other types of vehicles have decreased in the 21st century, so motorcycle accident deaths have become an increased share of all deaths and noted for being 26 times more deadly than cars. Operators of sport motorcycle models had a higher rate of death compared to other motorcycle types, and speeding was noted in roughly half of fatal sport and super sport accidents compared to about a fifth for fatal accidents of other types. Sport and super sport riders were also likely to be younger among those involved in a fatal accident, with an average age of 27 (for the year 2005). The number of fatalities of those under 30 has gone from 80% percent in 1975 to 30% in 2014.

Nearly half of all deadly accidents involve only the motorcycle (so-called single-vehicle accidents) and a major issue is the loss of control during a bend in the road. There is a reported 80% chance of injury or death on a motorcycle in the event of an accident, compared to about 20% for passenger vehicles. Of the other over half of fatal accidents that do involve multiple vehicles, more than 75% involve head-on collisions, especially with vehicles that cross the lane of traffic but failed to spot the motorcycle.

In the United States, vehicles classed as motorcycles usually include both motorized bicycles and motorized tricycles, even though in the common language when people say motorcycle, they usually mean either motorized bicycle or motorized bicycle with a sidecar.

It has been suggested that the combination of older riders (40+) on higher-powered motorcycles might have been partially responsible for the increase in motorcycle deaths from the late 1990s until 2004. Blunt abdominal trauma can be caused by a motorcycle accident, and can damage the testes and intestines.

Half of motorcycle fatalities in single-vehicle crashes relate to problems negotiating a curve prior to a crash—almost 60 percent of motorcyclist fatalities in single-vehicle crashes occur at night.[9] However, even when riders survive, around 10% of trauma injuries include damage to the genital area, such as due to the collision of that area with a bike's gas tank.

Motorcycle accidents were the leading non-combat cause of death for US service members.

Between 1999 and 2012 4,423 died in combined motor vehicle deaths including motorcycles. Of those 1,134 died in motorcycle crashes.

Head-on collisions with cars that make up one of the biggest types of fatal collisions.

A quarter of motorcycle fatalities are single-vehicle crashes into a fixed object. Other dangers to motorcycles include enhanced risks compared to other vehicles include potholes, uneven pavement, and unexpected objects in the road such as animals.

Despite the focus on the head and helmet protection, it is possible for handlebars to castrate males in accident and damage done to the lower spine can leave men alive but paralyzed.

• Motorcycle accidents are risk factor for injuries to testicles, delicate reproductive organs that are contained in thin skinned sac outside the body in males. In collisions between testicles and gas tanks, testicle dislocation can occur where they are pushed into the lower abdomen. Motorcycle accidents can cause genitourinary trauma which may result in pelvic pain and various other symptoms depending on the nature of the damage.

Even moderate impacts in an accident may break the pelvis bone, which is one of the largest bones in the body and often bears the brunt of impacts with ground and objects during motorcycle crash or accident. A broken pelvis can lead to mobility problems due to the bone's central location.

Tire issues such as blow-outs can cause motorcycle accidents.

Notables who died in motorcycle accident:

1. Ranker - Famous People Who Died in Motorcycle Accidents (31 listed 9/1/18)
2. Wikipedia - Motorcycle racers killed while racing (132 listed 9/1/18)
3. Wikipedia - List of deaths by motorcycle crash (lists Road crashes (31) worldwide, Stunt crashes (5), & Testing crashes (3) with Wikipedia biographies as of 9/1/18)

• 1. T. E. Lawrence (1888 – 1935) - an archaeologist and British Army officer renowned especially for his liaison role during the Sinai and Palestine Campaign, and the Arab Revolt against Ottoman Turkish rule of 1916–18.
• 2. Duane Allman (1946 – 1971) - American guitarist, songwriter; leader of The Allman Brothers Band. (Wikipedia - Duane Allman)
• 3. Berry Oakley – (1948 – 1972) - Bassist, Musician. (Wikipedia - Berry Oakley)
• 4. Luc Bourdon – (1987 – 2008) - Canadian Ice Hockey player. (Wikipedia - Luc Bourdon).
• 5. Diego Corrales – (1977 – 2007) Professional boxer. (Wikipedia - Luc Bourdon).
• 6. Pete de Freitas – (1961 – 1989) - Drummer
• 7. Maurice Martenot – (1898 -1980) - Inventor, Cellist
• 8. Bill Cable – (1946 – 1998) - Pornographic actor, Stunt Performer, Model, Actor. (Wikipedia - Bill Cable) aka: "Stoner", "Cable", and "Bigg John"
• 9. Leo Ford – (1957 – 1991) - (aka Leo John Hilgeford) - Pornographic actor. (Wikipedia - Leo Ford)
• 10. 1896 Sylvester H. Roper Cambridge, Massachusetts. Crash preceded by or followed by heart failure.
• 11. 2007 Noriyasu Numata (JPN) Okayama International Circuit
• 12. 2013 Kevin Ash, journalist, killed in South Africa while testing new BMW R1200GS

Resources & Additional Reading:

• Wikipedia -- Motorcycle safety
• Traffic Safety Facts 2005 Motorcycle Data
• Motorcyclist Traffic Fatalities by State –2011 Preliminary Data
• What Can Fatality Rates Tell Us About Motorcycle Safety?
• List of countries by traffic-related death rate
• WORLD MOTORCYCLE FATALITIES STATISTICS
• Top 10 Motorcycle Accidents Of The Rich & Famous
• Wikipedia - Motorcycle fatality rate in US by year

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