Motorcycle Study Suggests Safety Courses Don’t Reduce Crashes By Jonathan Welsh

OFF THE WIRE
http://blogs.wsj.com/drivers-seat/2010/03/31/motorcycle-study-suggests-safety-courses-dont-reduce-crashes/
Motorcycle Study Suggests Safety Courses Don’t Reduce Crashes By Jonathan Welsh

Times Newspapers/Rex USA, courtesy Everett Collection A motorcycle safety study to be released today by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety found requiring young riders to take safety courses before getting their motorcycle licenses doesn’t reduce their likelihood of crashing.
The safety research group, funded by the insurance industry, says insurance collision claims for riders younger than 21 are 10% higher in states that require them to take training courses, compared with states that do not require such courses. The Insurance Institute says the difference “isn’t statistically significant,” but goes against the long-held idea that rider training prevents collisions.
The same study found that antilock brakes on motorcycles play a significant role in reducing crashes. The group says bikes with antilock brakes are 37% less likely to be involved in fatal crashes than those without them. Motorcycle models with antilocks also have 22% fewer damage claims per insured vehicle year (a “vehicle year” refers to one vehicle insured for one year).
As motorcycling has taken off in recent years, the number of rider deaths has also risen. Bike registrations reached 7.7 million in 2008 up from 4.3 million in 2000. In 2008 motorcycle rider fatalities totaled more than 5,000, which is higher than in any year since 1975 when the federal government started collecting fatal accident data.
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