When I read ThrasherFox's recent post on fatalities increasing among older riders, I was reminded of an excellent eye-opening article I had read in Motorcycle Consumer News several months ago. As with any statistical analysis, there are many ways to interpret the data that is collected. While I believe this study correctly determines that fatalities have increased among older riders, it fails to put this conclusion into a broader perspective. The broader reality is:
[*] Motorcycle registrations have continually risen since 1990
[*] Since 1990, the number of crashes has decreased
[*] Despite fewer overall crashes, the fatality rate for all riders has doubled in the last 5 years
So what is the cause for the dramatic increase? More cycles on the road? More powerful cycles on the road? Higher speeds? Less helmet usage? Alchohol consumption?
Read the article for the conclusion this study has drawn. I scanned it as an Adobe PDF, so you'll need Acrobat Reader to view it.
Motorcycle Consumer News Article, July 2004
Get Adobe Acrobat Reader Here
[*] Motorcycle registrations have continually risen since 1990
[*] Since 1990, the number of crashes has decreased
[*] Despite fewer overall crashes, the fatality rate for all riders has doubled in the last 5 years
So what is the cause for the dramatic increase? More cycles on the road? More powerful cycles on the road? Higher speeds? Less helmet usage? Alchohol consumption?
Read the article for the conclusion this study has drawn. I scanned it as an Adobe PDF, so you'll need Acrobat Reader to view it.
Motorcycle Consumer News Article, July 2004
Get Adobe Acrobat Reader Here