D eaths of 40-year-old and older motorcyclists have increased dramatically over the past 10 years, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). Riders age 40 and older accounted for about 40 percent of all motorcycle fatalities in 2000, up from 14 percent a decade earlier, and the number of deaths of older motorcyclists has increased from an average of 420 per year between 1990 and 1992 to 1,127 in 2000.
That isn't to say that motorcycle riding has gotten any safer for young people. According to the IIHS, the death rate on motorcycles averages about four times the death rate in passenger cars per 1,000 registered vehicles. When compared to the number of miles traveled, the death rate on motorcycles is 18 times higher than in passenger cars.
"Over the last three years, the number of motorcyclist deaths has gone up 68 percent in the 40-and-older group compared with 20 percent among people younger than 40," says Susan Ferguson, senior vice president for research for the IIHS.
Part of the reason behind the shift is the changing demographics of motorcycle riders, says Ferguson. Increasingly motorcyclists are older, affluent professionals. According to the Motorcycle Industry Council, today's typical bike owner is about 38 years old, compared to 24 years old in 1980. Also contributing to the increasing motorcycle fatalities is the repeal of helmet-use laws in some states, and the weakening of laws in others. As an example, the IIHS points to Texas.
In 1997, Texas ceased requiring helmet use for motorcyclists older than 21 years old who had health insurance. The result, says the IIHS, was to reduce the helmet-wearing rate in Texas from 97 percent to 66 percent in the first full year after the law was changed.
Along with the reduced rate of helmet use in Texas came a one-third increase in motorcycle death rates. In 1996 the death rate per 100,000 motorcycle registrations in Texas was 74, but in 1998, after the helmet law was changed, the death rate jumped to 99 per 100,000 registered motorcycles, and rose to 120 in 2000 a 62 percent increase since 1996 according to the IIHS. In contrast, in California and Ohio, which retained mandatory helmet-use laws, the death rate during the same years increased much less from 46 to 56 per 100,000.
Colorado, Illinois, and Iowa are the only states that have no helmet laws. Twenty-seven other states have limited requirements for helmet use on motorcycles usually for riders under age 18 while only 20 states and Washington, D.C., have mandatory helmet-use laws that cover all riders.
The Motorcycle Safety Association offers these driving tips for motorcycle riders:
Always wear a helmet.
Wear protective gear including eye protection, jacket, full-fingered gloves, long pants, and high-top boots or shoes.
Drive defensively, and be especially alert at intersections 70 percent of motorcycle-vehicle collisions occur at intersections.
Check mirrors before changing lanes or stopping. A quick stop without checking rear traffic may cause a rear-end crash.
Assume that you are invisible to other motorists and operate your motorcycle accordingly. Avoid riding in cars' blind spots (the zone where you cannot be seen in rear or side-view mirrors) and always use headlights.
Watch out for hazardous road surfaces, such as gravel or wet pavement. Other road hazards include potholes, oil slicks, puddles, debris on the roadway, and manhole covers.
Source: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety
