I have been sifting through the news feeds this morning in my daily attempt to find news on motorcycling in Canada in the main stream media and I came across a number of articles out of the US that caught my interest.
"Wednesday, the Washington State Patrol reported that 80 percent of all motorcycle fatalities in the state were the result of rider error, the most common causes being excessive speed and lane errors, usually a rider unable to negotiate a curve safely."
Link to the original article: http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/376827_motorcycles01.html?source=mypi
At Why Bike dot Com: http://www.whybike.com/motorcycle_search.php?find=motorcycle+accidents&field=descr&ser=y&search=Search
Consumer Reports: http://blogs.consumerreports.org/safety/2008/08/motorcycles.html
Another article on Motorcycle accidents - the Hurt Report from 1981: http://www.clarity.net/~adam/hurt-report.html - this article is used widely as statistical information even though it is from 1981
The common thread in all of the above articles? Rider error, inadequate training, fatigue and inexperience seem to be the causation of many motorcycle accidents.
Many older riders who are getting on motorcycles these days got their bike license when they were a kid, took a 20 year break from motorcycles due to kids and responsibilities and are now riding again. The problem is that most of them have not gone to a motorcycle safety course.
If you are one of those riders, taking a refresher course just might prevent you from being a statistic.
Education of riders is every bit as important as educating cagers....
I read about so many deaths and severe injuries suffered by motorcyclists every day in my quest to find the news that it makes my heart heavy - so many of the accidents I read about are preventable.
So how can you help yourself out there? Get some training. I for one plan on taking an advanced rider's course in the spring.
Becoming involved in an organization like AIM - Can - the Alliance for Injured Motorcyclists might be a good idea too. To find out more about AIM and what they do please visit: http://www.aimcan.com/
PLEASE - Have fun, but ride safe and be smart....I want yah around for a while and I am sure there are others in your life who feel the same way.
Belt Drive Betty
"Wednesday, the Washington State Patrol reported that 80 percent of all motorcycle fatalities in the state were the result of rider error, the most common causes being excessive speed and lane errors, usually a rider unable to negotiate a curve safely."
Link to the original article: http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/376827_motorcycles01.html?source=mypi
At Why Bike dot Com: http://www.whybike.com/motorcycle_search.php?find=motorcycle+accidents&field=descr&ser=y&search=Search
Consumer Reports: http://blogs.consumerreports.org/safety/2008/08/motorcycles.html
Another article on Motorcycle accidents - the Hurt Report from 1981: http://www.clarity.net/~adam/hurt-report.html - this article is used widely as statistical information even though it is from 1981
The common thread in all of the above articles? Rider error, inadequate training, fatigue and inexperience seem to be the causation of many motorcycle accidents.
Many older riders who are getting on motorcycles these days got their bike license when they were a kid, took a 20 year break from motorcycles due to kids and responsibilities and are now riding again. The problem is that most of them have not gone to a motorcycle safety course.
If you are one of those riders, taking a refresher course just might prevent you from being a statistic.
Education of riders is every bit as important as educating cagers....
I read about so many deaths and severe injuries suffered by motorcyclists every day in my quest to find the news that it makes my heart heavy - so many of the accidents I read about are preventable.
So how can you help yourself out there? Get some training. I for one plan on taking an advanced rider's course in the spring.
Becoming involved in an organization like AIM - Can - the Alliance for Injured Motorcyclists might be a good idea too. To find out more about AIM and what they do please visit: http://www.aimcan.com/
PLEASE - Have fun, but ride safe and be smart....I want yah around for a while and I am sure there are others in your life who feel the same way.
Belt Drive Betty
Very useful info.
ReplyDeleteYou are quite correct about the refresher course.
an ounce of prevention...will lessen catastrophes.
Cheers
One can hope - huh!
ReplyDelete