Topic: USA road toll for motorcyclists

[Hush]

OK you guys, ya gotta be a lot more careful out there in USA biker land.
I just read that the stats for 2007 were 5154 fatalities for US bike riders.
If we lost that many in NZ the roads would be empty of motorcyclists.......be very very careful out there, you know all the tin top guys are nuts!

[rhos1355]

I read somewhere that here in the UK a motorcyclist has a 65 times more chance of being a fatality compared to a 4 wheels motorist. That just about says it all.
As the man in Hill Street Blues used to advise his team every morning : "Y'all be careful out there, now."

[Terry in Australia]

If we lost that many in NZ the roads would be empty of motorcyclists.......

And cars, and sheep, and Orks.................

[rbmgf7]

...I just read that the stats for 2007 were 5154 fatalities for US bike riders...

how many of those were people doing something stupid? i've also heard a lot of stories from dealership guys selling 600cc crotch rockets to people as a start bike. most likely, that guy can't quite tame 600cc's at the beginning.

[eldar]

A lot of them 600 cc guys dont even get the tires worn before they crash. It is like they think they are auto-gods on a bikes and zip the throttle and BAM! Down they go.

[magnus72]

you can cut down the risks dramatically by receiving rider education and avoiding alcohol during the operation of a motorcycle.

all in all, the number seems kinda low to me.

[SD750F]

you can cut down the risks dramatically by receiving rider education and avoiding alcohol during the operation of a motorcycle.

all in all, the number seems kinda low to me.

All of my riding friends go from one bar to another. That's why I don't ride with them...

[Bob Wessner]

This is worth reading.

http://www.nhtsa.gov/staticfiles/DOT/NHTSA/Communication%20&%20Consumer%20Information/Articles/Associated%20Files/4640-report2.pdf

[Shenanigans]

"Which first bike should I get, a CBR600 or a GSXR600?"

[Terry in Australia]

Well we can blame the young crotch-rocket guys as much as we like, but statistically, inattentive car drivers still cause the majority of motorcycle related crashes. Cheers, Terry.

[Shenanigans]

I am suprised about the precentage killed while over the limit for BAC 27% and another 7% who were under the legal limit.

[tramp]

last report i read said that 80% of fatalities did not have a cycle endorsment

[jsaab2748]

 I didn't read the whole thing, but it seems like the government wants to tell us how to ride now? Someone please explain if this is something other than politically correct motorcycle legislation. Not tryin to be a smart a$$, but some of what I read I thought seemed like
a new set of rules.

[74cb750]

ah the goverment is always trying to protect us from ourselves, non?

unfortunately i believe there are many bike haters in the NTHSA, whom would just love to ban bikes.

the alcohol factor seems to have always been there.

seems to me i read somewhere years ago that many fatalities were unlicensed!
peace,
michel

[Hush]

One of the stats in NZ that is a worry is the high proportion of middle age riders returning to bikes who rode when they were teenagers and haven't done a lot since!
Er that kinda includes moi as I don't have a lot of saddle time these days, well not like I did when my motorcycle was firmly attached to my hairy young butt!
I have always been a conservative rider, probably why I survived my teen years and many of my mates didn't.
There is a local cemetery here in Napier and in a certain area I can't step in any direction without standing on an old bike mate who never made it to have wife and kids etc.
Yep as the man said "you-all be careful out there ya hear"!

[Terry in Australia]

That's very true Hushy, I wasn't so much "conservative" as just plain lucky, but I lost many friends, back in the days when a learner rider could ride any size bike. (I bought a shiny new CB750 when I got my "learners permit" when I was 17, back in the 1970's)

I've pretty much had bikes constantly since I was 9 years old, and so there's no "experience gap", but here in Oz it's the same problem as NZ, it's not the 18 year olds on sports bikes who are killing themselves as frequently as the 50 somethings returning to motorcycles after their families have grown up and moved out of house, almost a "right of passage" for a lot of blokes here.

The wealthy guys buy Harley's or Ducati's, and the rest just buy old bikes like ours.................. 

[troppo]

Sad but true hush and terry, i used to be young and stupid but was confined to a 250 legally, didnt stop me riding bigger bikes though, i shiver when i think of some of the things i did, and of the couple of mates that arent with us now
I think i`ll be fairly conservative as a rider now

[Shenanigans]

I wonder how a "limited" permit would effect statstics in the states. I don't think any state has programs set up like a lot of other country do around the world. Get your permit, which many even neglect to do and you can ride any cc bike you want

[Soos]

My guess is crotch rocket bike sales would drop like a rock.
If people were imited to 250cc's at first that is.

they might actually LIVE through the first major crash they had, and not ride again, or ...god forbid.... Take a Riders Saftey course!

Where i work, there was a guy(he quit about 2 months ago) who was DAMNED good at showing off.
Had seen him do wheelies for over 1 mile at 100+mph on several occasions.
he lent his bike out to a buddy who had lost his license due to illegal road racing.
His buddy was doing a wheelie when he rear-ended the semi with a flatbed trailer..

The newspaper story said the officers estimated he was doing 140-150mph when he hit the back end of the semi trailer.
He died instantly.(hopefully it wasn't painful)
The kid was only 19.

The only time I went my wheels off the ground is during maintenance, or changing tires.

I personally would sign a petition to enforce the lower CC limit on learner bike permits.

l8r

[Terry in Australia]

Nah, the 250 law didn't work mate, the fact is that any bike can kill you, so it was a waste of time. Motorcycle manufacturers just upped the power limit and reduced the weight of their 250's, so now 250's that will do 100+ MPH is common. (CBR250RR, ZXR250, etc)

Here in Oz, in most states the 250 law has been repealed and now we have a HP limit for learner riders. This is a much better idea as there are plenty of 500+ CC bikes that are available, that fall within this new law.

I guess I'm a fatalist, but I firmly believe that regardless of how careful you are, when your times up, your times up, so you should enjoy your ride, not worry about what's around the corner. Cheers, Terry.

[BobbyR]

We have no national motor vehicle laws here, it is up to the States. Except for the Federal mandated safety and emissions equipment, everything else is a State matter. The legal driving age can vary from 15 to 18. I lost more friends in Vietnam than bike accidents. I am one of the lucky long time riders, up to this point nothing has happened. I am running into returning riders who think they are the man they were 30 years ago. Some have recently taken it up since their Mothers are not around to tell them no. They also think they are a good as they may have been.  It is a dangerous illusion. The reflexes I have today are not what they were back in the day. The other thing these guys do is ride too much. They ride everywhere and they don't have the stamina they once had, when you get tired you get sloppy and inattentive.
They have been debating licensing for various cc bikes since I stated riding in 1968, it has not happened yet. 

[Hush]

Its not restricted to bikes, many young kiwis get a limited licence then go buy a twin turbo rice rocket car and usually take a few of their mates to Hell with them too.
The returning to bikes thing is why at 50 I'm happy to be putting a 30 year old machine on the road.
Sure I could have gone out and bought a new Japper which needed no rebuilding and had a maintenance contract so I didn't have to get my hands dirty.
My old CB650 with all the junk in the world holding it back wont break any records, the front and back crash bars ( Cops liked those) will add weight, the pannier bags will add more and God knows what a full windshield will do to the aerodynamics ha ha.
Anyhow I want to ride not race, I know my reflexes aint what they were 30 years ago and my bike wont see daylight if the sky aint blue and the sun aint shining, what do they call that? a fair weather sailor I believe ha ha ha........