Data released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration shows a decrease in motorcycle fatalities for 2009. There was a 16% drop in motorcycle fatalities, breaking an 11-year trend of annual increases. Overall there was a 6.3% drop in motorcycle injuries for 2009 compared to the previous year.
Government data showing reduced injury and fatality rates for motorcyclists in 2009 comes with the MIC reporting a 5% increase in miles ridden in the same year.
The 4462 reported motorcycle fatalities in 2009 mark an 850 decrease from the previous year. Of those fatalities, 1314 were classified as alcohol-impaired (meaning they involved either an alcohol-impaired driver or rider), down from 1561 the year prior, also a 16% drop. Injuries saw 90,000 reported last year, down from the 96,000 reported in 2008. The full NHSTA report can be read at http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/811363.pdf.
While sobering, the reduction of injuries and deaths is made the more impressive by an increase in miles ridden. In its own press release commenting on the government figures, the Motorcycle Industry Council (MIC) reckons motorcycle miles travelled increased by “approximately 5% last year, some 1.3 billion more miles than in 2008, according to the Motorcycle Industry Council’s 2009 Motorcycle Owner Survey.”
“There’s always more work to promote and improve safety, but everyone at the Motorcycle Industry Council is heartened by this news,” said MIC Chairman Larry Little in the MIC press announcement. “It shows that we can lower our level of risk out on the road, while we’re putting more miles on more bikes for both transportation and pure fun. The MIC conducts research that’s absolutely relevant to this story. Our Motorcycle Owner Survey provides the best information available on American motorcyclists. It’s the only accurate source for motorcycle miles traveled and it’s one of the MIC’s more important efforts to assist riders everywhere. We thank all our members for funding this vital study.”
The American Motorcyclist Association has taken a more cautious tone responding to the news.
"The death of any motorcyclist is one too many, so this news that fatalities are down is encouraging," said AMA senior vice president for government relations, Ed Moreland, in the AMA’s own press announcement. "While we are pleased that the number of motorcycling fatalities dropped dramatically in 2009, a one-year drop isn't a trend. We need to determine why, and ensure that the decline continues."
Moreland goes on to note that motorcycle deaths followed a similar downward trend in the ‘80s and ‘90s before climbing on the aforementioned 11-year annual increase. Moreland stresses that more definitive data needs to analyzed citing the forthcoming crash study at the Oklahoma State University
"The motorcycling community looks forward to receiving some real answers about motorcycle crashes and what causes them from the new federal crash causation study that is under way at Oklahoma State University (OSU) through the Oklahoma Transportation Center in Stillwater," said Moreland. "Then we can put our heads together to find solutions, reduce crashes and save more lives."
The AMA and Secretary LaHood are notably at odds over possible solutions to further reduce motorcycle injury and fatality rates. This is due to the AMA’s rigid stance against mandatory helmet laws, stressing instead that government solutions should focus on accident prevention.
The trend of lower motorcycles accidents reflects the overall trend of motor vehicles United States, with 2009 registering the lowest fatality and injury rates on record (1.26 deaths per million miles in 2008 compared to 1.13 deaths per million in 2009). The 2009 highway death total of 33,808 is the lowest since 1950, and the grim statistic is made the more impressive considering the slight 0.2% increase in miles traveled when compared to 2008.
“At the Department of Transportation, we are laser-focused on our top priority: safety,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood in a press release announcing the statistics. “Today’s announcement shows that America’s roads are the safest they’ve ever been. But they must be safer. And we will not rest until they are.”
One of the planned initiatives to further drive down the fatality and accident rates is an initiative against distracted driving. LaHood will chair a National Distracted Driving Summit on Sept 21 in Washington D.C., the summit focusing on the problem of texting and cell phone.Cruiser News Headlines AMA News and Notes October 2010 Motorcycle Cannonball Event Launches 2010 AMA Flat Track Springfield Insider Dr. Frazier’s Big Dog BMW GS Adventure 2010 AMA Flat Track Springfield Mile II Results More Cruiser Motorcycle News Dealer LocatorRelated Articles AMA Talks Motorcycle Helmets & Education
