Evan Posted August 21, 2014 #1 Posted August 21, 2014 Just listened to interesting news report released by our Ontario Provincial Police. Biker deaths are at a record high this year. However, what surprised the OPP even more was the extent those deaths involved older (45 to 54) riders on dry roads during daytime conditions. A number of reported factors were reported, including inattentiveness.
Hulk Posted August 21, 2014 #2 Posted August 21, 2014 http://www.citynews.ca/2014/08/21/opp-warn-motorcycle-fatalities-could-reach-7-year-high/ http://www.citynews.ca/2014/08/21/opp-warn-motorcycle-fatalities-could-reach-7-year-high/ http://www.cp24.com/news/opp-issues-warning-as-number-of-motorcycle-fatalities-heads-for-seven-year-high-1.1969246
YamahaLarry Posted August 21, 2014 #3 Posted August 21, 2014 We have seemed to have a lot more here in Alabama than in the past. Seems like every week we are hearing of at least 1 fatality. This week it was a 44 year old man 1/2 hour from where I live. I guess you can attribute a lot of it to more and more people are owning motorcycles now.
Pegasus1300 Posted August 21, 2014 #4 Posted August 21, 2014 one of the reasons that I have gone to three wheels is that I realized that over the years my ability to maintain situational awareness has decreased enough that it is a relief not to have to be aware of balance issues as well. I am 68 and at least for me age has slowed me down. I can well understand the rise in accidents in an older riding population.
saddlebum Posted August 21, 2014 #5 Posted August 21, 2014 We have seemed to have a lot more here in Alabama than in the past. Seems like every week we are hearing of at least 1 fatality. This week it was a 44 year old man 1/2 hour from where I live. I guess you can attribute a lot of it to more and more people are owning motorcycles now. Add that to the fact that in today,s hi tech hi paced society driving, specially safe driving is usually the last thing on anyones mind. You see more and more people running stop signs, and traffic lights. When is the last time you actually saw someone stop at the curb when pulling out of a parking lot into traffic. Also how often in urban traffic does a car just suddenly whip out and change lanes without looking or signalling because the car ahead of him suddenly slows down to make a left turn.
Sailor Posted August 21, 2014 #6 Posted August 21, 2014 I read an interesting study done a while ago and I wish I could find it again. They examined every aspect of the accidents including age, experience,road conditions types of bikes, speeds involved etc. They found no common cause. It was not until they started looking at the vehicles involved that they found a common thread. Most involved suvs,vans and jacked up pickup trucks. They did computer simulations and concluded that in an accident with a car the rider would often be thrown over the car and survive. With an suv or van the rider would be thrown into the vehicle and die. The number of suvs and vans on the roads has increased greatly. Another study showed that most police reports were in error as they relied solely on an interview with the driver of the vehicle who usually claimed the biker was speeding "just came out of nowhere" is a common statement. When the scene was analyzed , damage to vehicle, skid marks, position of bike after the accident etc, they found that most times the biker had not been speeding.
IronMike Posted August 22, 2014 #7 Posted August 22, 2014 The rate of survivability drops considerably as we get older. We can't handle the impact like a youngster can and internal organs give up quick. Dawn your gear. I'm figuring on dying while riding. Attack Life....No one gets out alive anyways.
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