LA Times Moto Article.

[Gixxerdale]

Thought this might be of interest.

July 27, 2005

YOUR WHEELS
There's a downside to cycle boom
# As ridership surges, safety chief says fatal bike crashes are near
'epidemic.' But there are ways to reduce the risk.

By Jeanne Wright, Special to The Times

Capitola, Calif., police say that when they warned Steven Harris not to
drive because he appeared intoxicated the night of July 3, the
51-year-old
motorcyclist ignored the order and sped off on his 1999
Harley-Davidson.

With the CHP joining the pursuit, Harris' bike reached 90 mph as he
raced
along State Route 1 in the Santa Cruz area, says CHP spokeswoman Kim
Bonfilio.

The 6-mile chase ended when Harris' bike hit a sharp curve and crashed,
launching him over the overpass and down to the highway below. He died
from "massive trauma to his head, chest and extremities," according to
Sgt. Larry Roland of the Santa Clara Sheriff's Coroner's Office.

Speed, alcohol and reckless driving have long proved to be a deadly
combination, particularly for motorcyclists. Roland, other law
enforcement
officers and doctors have seen many motorcyclists like Harris die from
devastating injuries in high-speed accidents.

"We have an emerging epidemic with deaths among motorcycle operators,"
Jeffrey W. Runge, head of the National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration, said earlier this year.

In 2004, 3,927 motorcyclists died and 76,000 were injured, many of them
seriously, according to the NHTSA. The number of fatalities was up 7.3%
from 2003, when 3,661 motorcyclists were killed and 67,000 were
injured.

Runge blames much of the increase in motorcycle fatalities on the fact
that several states have repealed helmet laws. The Motorcycle Industry
Council attributes the rise in deaths to a surge of new motorcycle
riders.
According to the council, there were more than 1 million sales last
year,
continuing a 12-year trend of increasing sales.

Certainly, not all motorcycle enthusiasts drive recklessly or while
intoxicated. And the folks at the Motorcycle Safety Foundation in
Irvine
maintain that many accidents can be blamed on automobile drivers. The
foundation urges riders to help reduce the number of accidents by
riding
safely, avoiding alcohol and getting proper training, says spokesman
Mike
Mount.

Insurers also are looking at the problem of rising motorcycle-related
crashes. Progressive Insurance, the nation's largest motorcycle
insurer,
recently analyzed claims to come up with a list of motorcycles that are
most likely to be involved in crashes and most likely to be stolen.

At the top of that list was the Suzuki GSX-R series, a high-performance
sport bike, says Jim Curtis, product manager at Progressive. Heading
the
list of bikes least likely to be involved in a crash was the Yamaha
Virago
Series. The Suzuki Savage was the motorcycle least likely to be stolen.

Based on Progressive's insurance data, high-performance motorcycles
were
the bikes most likely to be crashed or swiped. Curtis says consumers
can
expect higher insurance rates on these bikes.

Suzuki spokesman Glenn Hansen says Suzuki works hard to make sure its
bikes are "safe and good for riders." Hansen questioned how
Progressive's
data on crashes and thefts would compare with data from a more
far-reaching study. Ultimately, the driver determines how safely a
vehicle
is driven, whether it is a car, a motorcycle or an SUV, Hansen says.

Progressive declined to elaborate on the number of fatalities, injuries
and thefts analyzed for its study.

But NHTSA data for 2003 show that, nationwide, 1,512 fatalities
occurred
in the category associated with high-performance sport bikes and 1,479
fatalities with the larger cruise and touring bikes, according to NHTSA
spokesman Rae Tyson.

Safety experts are also concerned about extreme motorcyclists doing
stunt
driving on public roadways. Actions such as popping wheelies at high
speeds near busy intersections and even filming motorcycle videos on
surface streets have resulted in accidents.

Last year, a group of motorcyclists in St. Louis, followed by a vehicle
that was filming the riders' stunt driving, cut off a Ford Explorer,
causing it to crash into a Chevy Suburban that rolled down an
embankment.
The accident left five people seriously injured.

That kind of reckless riding is "illegal, inappropriate and reflects a
lack of respect," says Mount. Fortunately, he said, this group
represents
only a small number of motorcycle riders.

Jeanne Wright can be reached at jeanrite@aol.com.

[tlwisner]

That's a fairly even-handed article that presents some important facts. Thanks for the good post.

[themeatmanlandry]

That's all the thing'd do . . . 90? He must have been drunk!!

Nice read.

[FIVEINCH]

Good article. I'm going to use it for training to my airmen.

[SuzukiGirl1]

I was surprised he could even GET that harley up to 90!!!!!

[tlwisner]

Originally Posted by SuzukiGirl1

I was surprised he could even GET that harley up to 90!!!!!

Some H-Ds are quite quick:
http://www.harley-davidson.com/wcm/C...p?locale=en_US

[Fishpart]

Good Story anything to build awareness!!

[stevie c]

Nice article Dale, thanks for posting it.

[finch20th]

"But NHTSA data for 2003 show that, nationwide, 1,512 fatalities
occurred in the category associated with high-performance sport bikes
and 1,479 fatalities with the larger cruise and touring bikes"


THAT IS ALL I HAVE TO SAY!!!!

[finch20th]

great article!!!

[themeatmanlandry]

Originally Posted by finch63gs500f

"But NHTSA data for 2003 show that, nationwide, 1,512 fatalities
occurred in the category associated with high-performance sport bikes
and 1,479 fatalities with the larger cruise and touring bikes"


THAT IS ALL I HAVE TO SAY!!!!

What? That you ride the type of bike that they sell less of each year, yet we tend to wreck them more?

I wouldn't be happy to be part of that crowd.

[Trapper]

Originally Posted by themeatmanlandry

What? That you ride the type of bike that they sell less of each year, yet we tend to wreck them more?

I wouldn't be happy to be part of that crowd.

+1
Cruisers out number sportbikes 10 to 1 where I come from.

[MagnumForce]

Originally Posted by FIVEINCH

Good article. I'm going to use it for training to my airmen.

+1. This is a very interesting article and I want to ensure all airmen in my squadron read this.

[stevie c]

Originally Posted by trappercase

Cruisers out number sportbikes 10 to 1 where I come from.

Its the opposite way round here, most bikes you see are crotch rockets, apart from people who have commuters for work etc.

[leenmachine]

Originally Posted by themeatmanlandry

That's all the thing'd do . . . 90? He must have been drunk!!

Nice read.

He said it was a Harley...

[Clint]

Is there anything new there? Let me summarize...

A. People who run from cops sometimes die.
B. People who don't wear proper gear sometimes die.
C. People who drink and ride sometimes die.
D. People who stunt sometimes die.
E. Flashy, powerful bikes are more likely to be stolen.
F. Plain, slow bikes are less likely to be stolen.
G. Some SUV drivers shouldn't be on the road if a motorcycle can cause them to crash and roll.
H. The news media are too stupid to realize the above.

Did I miss anything? It's all the same old blah. I'm not knocking Dale for posting it, but the LA Times for being so cliche.

[stevie c]

Originally Posted by RowdyRed94

Is there anything new there? Let me summarize...

A. People who run from cops sometimes die.
B. People who don't wear proper gear sometimes die.
C. People who drink and ride sometimes die.
D. People who stunt sometimes die.
E. Flashy, powerful bikes are more likely to be stolen.
F. Plain, slow bikes are less likely to be stolen.
G. Some SUV drivers shouldn't be on the road if a motorcycle can cause them to crash and roll.
H. The news media are too stupid to realize the above.

Did I miss anything? It's all the same old blah. I'm not knocking Dale for posting it, but the LA Times for being so cliche.

You missed an important one,

I. People who are safe riders and do everything right sometimes die due to other peoples stupidity and lack of common sense, or plain old bad luck.

[Clint]

Did they mention that?

[Nexus242]

The increased death toll would simply follow suit with the increasing numbers of new riders out on the roads. Which again is nothing new. If it's due to all the biker shows like American Chopper or Biker Build Off or simply that motorcycle riding has become a high profile activity of the upper middle class and young male but more riders will equal more deaths and yeah more bikes to be repaired so more are stolen.

Oh well who wants to live forever anyway........

[Clint]