I've been riding and racing motorcycles for more than 38 years. As a lawyer, I've also had the privilege of helping dozens of motorcycle accident victims injured because of another driver's negligent conduct. Here are important statistics every motorcycle rider needs to know about...
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The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Recently Released Statistics Showing That Motorcycle Fatalities Have Increased
Because of the physics involved in motorcycle accidents, the extent of personal injury or death is unusually high. In fact, The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recently released new statistics showing that motorcycle fatalities have increased for the seventh year in a row. With more than 1,000,000 motorcycles being purchased each year (this figure has increased each of the past 14 years), the additional number of riders has resulted in fatalities increasing at an alarming rate of 89% from 2,116 in 1997 to 4,008 in 2004.
The numbers reflect that the average age of these riders is 20-29, with speeding being the number one cause of these fatal accidents. According to Motorcycle Industry Council findings, there is a high increase in the number of motorcycles purchased by riders over the age of 40 and a corresponding increasing number of fatalities with riders in this age group.
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Alcohol Is a Big Factor in Most Motorcycle Accidents
The highest percentage of fatal motorcycle accidents involved alcohol. More than 72 percent of these riders were in the age group of 40-49. One positive aspect of this statistic is that the number of alcohol related fatalities has actually decreased over the past 10 years. More than 70% of motorcycle fatality accidents take place on undivided highways. I would suggest that this is a combination of a lack of rider education, training, inattention, excessive speed or third-party negligence (the driver of another car or truck was careless and caused the accident).
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