D is for Danger
by Brian A. Hopkins

"Motorcycles are dangerous!"

That's what non-riders are always telling me. I didn't own my first motorcycle until I was 19 or 20 and out on my own ... because the general consensus in my parents' house was that motorcycles certainly are dangerous. (When I did finally get a bike, I was promptly hit by a woman in a red Mustang, then spent 7 weeks in traction and most of 1981 in a cast. Dangerous indeed!) "Donor-cycles" is what Emergency Room professionals call them. Most riders I've known have had at least one accident and uncountable "moments" on the mean streets.

I've generally been of the opinion that the real danger to me and my scooter comes in the form of other motorists. This puts the threat in something of a "manageable" category for me. Makes the risk level acceptable, if you will. Ride on the street long enough (perhaps I should say "survive on the street long enough") and you develop skills and instincts; you learn to read the cage drivers, anticipate their inattentiveness, carelessness, and just plain ol' selfishness. It's something of a game (albeit with serious consequences): How will they try to kill me today? I've gotten good at the game over the years and generally feel pretty safe on my bikes.

I assumed the threat and risk assessment was essentially the same for other riders. However, recent statistics aren't exactly supporting this line of thought. Since I work for the Air Force and am a motorcycle safety focal point for my organization, I'm often provided with accident statistics and details. Thus far, there have been seven motorcycle fatalities in the Air Force this year. This is from a recent report:

Of the seven mishaps, six were single vehicle mishaps. The only mishap involving another vehicle was a result of loss of motorcycle control, with the rider veering into oncoming traffic. Preliminary analysis tells us that all seven did not maintain positive control over their own motorcycle. None were caused by a four wheel operator failing to see or account for a motorcyclist.

Not good at all. As if the cage drivers weren't enough of a threat, untrained riders are out there crashing -- and dying -- all on their own, simply because they're incapable of handling their motorcycles. My personal theory on this is that these riders don't get enough saddle time. These are your weekend riders, your bar-hoppers or shopping mall cyclists. Riding a motorcycle with any degree of skill takes a huge amount of practice. Acquiring experience without paying too high of a price (recall that I was run down by a woman in a red Mustang!) is the trick. The keys to a new rider's survival during this dangerous period are training, such as that offered by the Motorcycle Safety Foundation, and the mentorship of experienced riders as a member of various clubs and organizations. Saddle time, lots of it, is paramount. Riding offroad is certainly a big plus, too.

How do my speculations bear up when compared with real-world data? Here are some very interesting ("disturbing" might be a better word) motorcycle safety statistics from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) which pertain to the general U.S. populace:

1. Deaths of motorcyclists have skyrocketed during the past decade, while deaths have decreased among passenger vehicle operators.

2. Motorcyclist deaths have more than doubled since 1997, and in 2005 accounted for 10 percent of all motor vehicle crash deaths, up from 5 percent in 1997.

3. In 2005, a total of 4,439 motorcyclists died in crashes, up 14 percent from the 3,904 in 2004.

4. The number of deaths on motorcycles was about 34 times the number in cars per mile traveled in 2005.

5. 71% of motorcyclist deaths in 2005 occurred during the six months of May through October. Fatalities peaked during July through September and were lowest during December through February.

6. 59% of motorcyclist deaths in 2005 occurred during Friday through Sunday.

Bullets 5 and 6 certainly point to a higher number of accidents among summer and weekend riders, those motorcyclists who, in my opinion, do not have the requisite skill level to handle an ever more powerful offering of street machines.

A National Highway Transportation Study on Motorcycle Safety indicated that an emphasis on the following areas can reduce motorcycle fatalities:

1. Failure of motorcyclists to appreciate the inherent operating characteristics of their motorcycles
2. Failure of motorcyclists to know the limitations of their motorcycles
3. Failure of motorcyclists to follow speed limits

Even though their wording seems to point a finger at the "limitations of motorcycles" (if you ask me, today's motorcycles are so capable that it's impossible for anyone short of Valentino Rossi to actually "out-ride" them and exceed their "limitations"), I think we're really still talking about skills acquired by riders who need to spend many, many hours in the saddle. To survive, you absolutely must be an expert at operating your motorcycle. Weekend warriors would be better off taking up golf. Motorcyclists who exceed their skill levels -- whether that relates to speed, cornering, or just plain understanding traffic situations and how bad shit unfolds on the street -- are accidents waiting to happen.

Let's all be careful out there.