Topic: Recent Safety Statistics in Indiana

[MCRider]

With the upcoming Indy GP, there has been a lot of press about motorcycling here. A recent interview with an ABATE of Indiana official on a local redio station disclosed this:
93% of motorcycle fatalities (didn't specify Indiana only or US) occurred to riders who had not taken an MSF or similar training course.

So, if one takes this course and especially if one refreshes every other year or so, one will reduce the chance of being killed to similar with falling in bathtub, riding a bicycle in traffic, etc.

40% of fatal accidents involved the rider being under the influence (not necessarily over the limit) of alchohol.

There is a saying among fighter pilots, and astronauts, often with a reputation for drinking, that there should be an appropriate delay "bottle to throttle". Often 12 hours, at least 8 hours.

Another rule of thumb is "an hour per ounce". Wait an hour per shot, per beer, per small glass of wine, before riding.

This matches closely with the "bottle to throttle" as a night's drinking often involves 8 to 12 beers, shots, etc.

JMHO

[mlinder]

93% of motorcycle fatalities (didn't specify Indiana only or US) occurred to riders who had not taken an MSF or similar training course.

This begs the question, thjough, what percentage of cyclists, as a whole, have not taken the MSF?

Don't get me wrong, I think MSF is great. But that statistic is meaningless without knowing the baseline.

[MCRider]

93% of motorcycle fatalities (didn't specify Indiana only or US) occurred to riders who had not taken an MSF or similar training course.

This begs the question, thjough, what percentage of cyclists, as a whole, have not taken the MSF?

Don't get me wrong, I think MSF is great. But that statistic is meaningless without knowing the baseline.

Good point. I get what you're saying. And to complete the analysis, well its hard to say. ABATE probably has the numbers for Indiana, but i don't. Another stat buried in the numbers is that about half of fatalities aren't MC licensed at all.

So we don't know how many people are riding without a proper MC endorsement, and that skews things.

In Indiana, to get a motorcycle endorsement one takes a skills test and a written test at the BMV. Or, if one shows proof of MSF completion, that BMV requirement is waived. So the ABATE/MSF courses are always sold out months in advance and run all season long.

Still doesn't answer your question. But this has been going on for 15+ years. My money is on the idea that bulk of IN riders who have an MC endorsement have taken the MSF course. Those that haven't, including those without MC endorsements, are at the highest risk of fatal accident.

But I CONCEDE that these statistics are not complete enough to confirm that, statistically.

[lynchj]

 I'd wonder how many fatalities were wearing helmets.

[Gordon]

93% of motorcycle fatalities (didn't specify Indiana only or US) occurred to riders who had not taken an MSF or similar training course.

This begs the question, thjough, what percentage of cyclists, as a whole, have not taken the MSF?

Don't get me wrong, I think MSF is great. But that statistic is meaningless without knowing the baseline.

+1

This is just another example of how statistics can be manipulated to back up pretty much any standpoint. 

[DavePhipps]

From my perspective as a rider in Indiana I  see mostly fat people on cruiser bikes wanting to live/fake the "biker" image. That includes drinking and no helmets. Every bike crash article that I have seen in the local paper says the rider was not wearing a helmet, and many times losing it in a corner. These people want to show off how fast and great thier bikes are, and don't realise that skills are needed for cornering fast.
MSF course or not, you can't take the dumb out of people.

[BobbyR]

From my perspective as a rider in Indiana I  see mostly fat people on cruiser bikes wanting to live/fake the "biker" image. That includes drinking and no helmets. Every bike crash article that I have seen in the local paper says the rider was not wearing a helmet, and many times losing it in a corner. These people want to show off how fast and great thier bikes are, and don't realise that skills are needed for cornering fast.
MSF course or not, you can't take the dumb out of people.

This is very true dumb is hard to reverse, bad habits are not. My neighbor who logs about 50 miles a year dragged me to the MSF advanced course. Having ridden dirt bikes as a kid and licensed since 1968, I had pulled myself out of hundreds of close calls. The Instructor asked if i had ridden dirt and I said yes, he said you do not look up enough. After three remiderers to look up more he asked me to take off my Helmet, at which point he screamed in my ear like a DI, keep your fuuukin head up! I still hear his voice, and I have very few close calls. 

[Pinhead]

By "look up" I assume you mean further ahead?

[BobbyR]

By "look up" I assume you mean further ahead?

Exactly. I had gotten into the habit very early of looking for rocks, roots, washouts etc. Once my ear stopped ringing he explained I will see a pothole etc on the street if I looked ahead. I now scan ahead of me looking at cars that can pull out of driveways, parking spaces, or just hitting the brakes in front of me. I find myself not going on the brakes hard as much.

[tramp]

a very high percentage of fatalities had no license to ride