Rider Safety

[Eric Sheley <eric@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Not Triumph specific, but I thought the numbers were interesting.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHSTA), 
2,284 motorcyclists were killed nationwide (US) in 1998, compared with 
2,116 in 1997 (an increase of 8% - ending a 4 year decline) (unfortunately 
I could not find any figures to relate that number to the number of 
registrations - with more registrations would could naturally assume more 
crashes)

- - Motorcycle fatalities account for 4.1% of all vehicle fatalities.

- - Of 1,017 fatal crashes involving a second vehicle, 36% were caused by a 
vehicle turning left in front of the motorcycle

- - In fatal motorcycle crashes, alcohol was involved 40% of the time. The 
good news is that in 91% of the 45,000 injury motorcycle crashes, alcohol 
was not involved.

- - 50% were killed during the week, 50% on the weekend (more people riding 
Sat/Sun). During the week and on weekends the time period of 3pm to 
midnight accounted for almost identical percentages - approx 57% of all 
fatalities. The highest weekday time slot was 3pm to 6pm at 22.4% and on 
the weekend it was the 6pm to 9pm slot at 21.3%

- - Helmet use - 51.5% of those killed used helmets while 44.5% did not (4% 
unknown). My question here would be, how many of those 1,017 people not 
using helmet would have been in the injury column instead had they been 
wearing a helmet ?.....

And here is the biggie.......

726 of those killed had NO VALID MOTORCYCLE LICENSE............

(source AMA and NHSTA 1998 Motor Vehicle Crash Data Report)

- - Eric

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