Motorcycle Age and Fatalities On the Rise

In a recent study released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), it was revealed that motorcycle rider involvement is on rise for the over 40 years old age group. The major problem that arises with this basic fact is that motorcycle fatalities are also on the rise. In fact, the number of deaths nearly doubled from the years of the 1995 to 2004, from 2227 deaths to 4008 deaths.

Anytime such a high spike takes place, questions must be asked and answers need to be sought out to be able to curb the trend. As the NHTSA stated when the study was released, their mission is to "Save lives, prevent injuries, reduce vehicle-related crashes."

When we take a look at the numbers, motorcycle ownership for riders between the ages of 40 and 49 grew from 16.3% to nearly 28% from 1990 to 2003 (the latest year for which statistics are available). Motorcycle ownership also increased by about 25% in the 50 and over age group during the same period. In addition, the median age rose from 32 years old to 41 years old during the same age period. However, there was an overall spike in motorcycle registered rose by 1,883,679, which is an increase of 48%. So regardless of the age group, motorcycle registration is up.

The criticism of older riders has some validity, because it makes sense that, as older riders come to represent a larger proportion of overall riders, a greater percentage of accidents will occur among older riders. However, the most important statistic that was released in this study was that there were 39.89 fatalities per 100 million miles traveled.

The reason that this statistic is so important is that the age of the riders is irrelevant, but what does matter is that for every 100 million miles die, 40 rides die. That bottom line is sobering because each of those lives do not need to be lost. When you consider that motorcycle technology, tires, brakes, helmets, clothing and even rider knowledge improve each year, it is clear that motorcyclists have a serious problem and need to make changes.

So what have we learned? Forget about the age issue, overall it is irrelevant and not something that can be truly accounted for as a long term issue. The real issue is the bottom line: regardless of age categories, the motorcycle fatality rate has increased dramatically since 1997 and shows no signs of moderating in the future. It is up to motorcyclists to make changes in how and when they are choosing to ride, law enforcement to hold them accountable for their actions, and the general public to make a conscious decision to give motorcyclists plenty of space on the road.

Everyone here at Davis Law Group is committed to supporting the NHTSA and their effort to lower motorcycle accident and fatality rates.

Motorcycle Accident Attorney

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