tcfjr
Well-known member
The Los Angeles Times published an article on motorcycle safety today. Here's an excerpt:
With more motorcyclists hitting the road, sitting on more powerful engines, fatalities are on the rise
Nearly half of motorcycle-related deaths in California in the last decade occurred between June and September.
Weekend warriors, the growing number of leather-clad motorcycle lovers who fire up their high-performance bikes around Memorial Day and take to California's scenic roads, are increasingly falling victim to deadly accidents caused in large part by risky riding.
Shane Matthews, weekend crew chief of the Ventura County Sheriff's Department's air rescue squad, knows the dangers of the highway firsthand. His crew pilots a blue and yellow Bell helicopter to remote crash scenes, plucking up one injured rider after another -- or worse.
"On nice weekends, when the weatherman says it's going to be sunny, we get the copter gassed up and ready to go," Matthews said. "Because you can just predict that someone's going to do something that started out fun and ends up a disaster."
Throngs of riders on chrome-laden cruisers and sleek sport bikes seek out twisting roads and wind-in-your-face freedom, converging on spots like the Rock Store near Malibu, Neptune's Net on Pacific Coast Highway or the Deer Lodge north of Ojai.
The increasing number of riders has brought a jump in motorcycle-related injuries and fatalities, according to the California Highway Patrol.
Over the last decade, the CHP has tracked a 140% increase in the number of motorcyclists killed in collisions statewide. In 2006, 433 riders were killed and 10,188 were injured in California.
Nearly half of the fatalities occurred between June and September, a pattern that recurs each year, according to the state data. The CHP report is compiled annually from traffic collision data sent by local police and sheriff's jurisdictions and from CHP field offices.
Fran Clader, a CHP spokeswoman, said there are more motorcycle riders on the roads each year. In urban areas, many collisions are the result of inattention by automobile drivers sharing the road with the more agile two-wheeled bikes. But bikers out for a recreational ride often take risks that can result in tragedy, such as speeding or racing each other.
CHP data show that the vast majority of accidents are caused by young men going faster than the posted speed limits.
In recent years, the average age of registered motorcycle riders has risen to the mid-40s as more baby boomers hit the roads. The bikes they are selecting have bigger and more powerful engines, "leading to more fatalities," Clader said.
"People are pulling out motorcycles that they haven't ridden in a while and their skills might be a little rusty," she said.
With more motorcyclists hitting the road, sitting on more powerful engines, fatalities are on the rise
Nearly half of motorcycle-related deaths in California in the last decade occurred between June and September.
Weekend warriors, the growing number of leather-clad motorcycle lovers who fire up their high-performance bikes around Memorial Day and take to California's scenic roads, are increasingly falling victim to deadly accidents caused in large part by risky riding.
Shane Matthews, weekend crew chief of the Ventura County Sheriff's Department's air rescue squad, knows the dangers of the highway firsthand. His crew pilots a blue and yellow Bell helicopter to remote crash scenes, plucking up one injured rider after another -- or worse.
"On nice weekends, when the weatherman says it's going to be sunny, we get the copter gassed up and ready to go," Matthews said. "Because you can just predict that someone's going to do something that started out fun and ends up a disaster."
Throngs of riders on chrome-laden cruisers and sleek sport bikes seek out twisting roads and wind-in-your-face freedom, converging on spots like the Rock Store near Malibu, Neptune's Net on Pacific Coast Highway or the Deer Lodge north of Ojai.
The increasing number of riders has brought a jump in motorcycle-related injuries and fatalities, according to the California Highway Patrol.
Over the last decade, the CHP has tracked a 140% increase in the number of motorcyclists killed in collisions statewide. In 2006, 433 riders were killed and 10,188 were injured in California.
Nearly half of the fatalities occurred between June and September, a pattern that recurs each year, according to the state data. The CHP report is compiled annually from traffic collision data sent by local police and sheriff's jurisdictions and from CHP field offices.
Fran Clader, a CHP spokeswoman, said there are more motorcycle riders on the roads each year. In urban areas, many collisions are the result of inattention by automobile drivers sharing the road with the more agile two-wheeled bikes. But bikers out for a recreational ride often take risks that can result in tragedy, such as speeding or racing each other.
CHP data show that the vast majority of accidents are caused by young men going faster than the posted speed limits.
In recent years, the average age of registered motorcycle riders has risen to the mid-40s as more baby boomers hit the roads. The bikes they are selecting have bigger and more powerful engines, "leading to more fatalities," Clader said.
"People are pulling out motorcycles that they haven't ridden in a while and their skills might be a little rusty," she said.
