ILLINOIS - Motorcycle myth

OFF THE WIRE
http://www.nwherald.com/2012/01/16/motorcycle-myth/ac3xax7/
Motorcycle myth

Dr. John Dano’s letter of Jan 12 perpetrates the social burden myth that motorcyclists place a “tremendous” financial burden on the public. If Mr. Dano would actually did some research, he would find that motorcyclists are no more likely to be uninsured or under-insured than the general driving public. He also would find that automobile drivers who fail to yield right of way cause a high percentage of motorcycle injuries and deaths.
Furthermore, since the number of motorcycle registrations is miniscule compared with the number of automobiles on the road in Illinois (349,000 vs. 5.8 million), there are far more uninsured cars than motorcycles causing personal and property damage, and they are the true social burden.
Anyone who reads the newspapers is aware of the number of injuries and deaths from uninsured drunken drivers in cars. Dr. Dano is unfairly demonizing motorcyclists. This is an unfair and prejudicial position without basis in fact.
The best way to prevent “lives irreversibly changed” is by rider education programs for motorcyclists, and automobile driver education that strongly focuses on motorcycle awareness and right-of-way issues in order to avoid automobile-motorcycle collisions.
Finally, the real discussion should be addressing why the richest country in the world still has a for-profit health care system that leads to 50 million citizens with no health insurance, instead of finding a scapegoat for a public burden discussion.
David Metschke
McHenry