Per a blogger’s request, here’s a dedicated thread on the recent motorcycle accidents in the area.
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55 Comments
Thank you Phillip.
I hope that Raptor and Drew will post comments here rather than bogarting other blogs.
“blogarting”?
I love it!
Ya just created blog lingo Julie. It is now on you to post it and the definition on the open!
“Don’t blogart that thread my friend,Pass it over to Raptor or Drew…”
“Wearing a helment or not,You can now discuss it and chew…”
blogart rhymes with bogart
I forsee the helmet law coming very soon. Possibly up for debate next spring.
I am for the helmet law, BUT only because it would make it fair alongside the seatbelt law. If we didnt have the seatbelt law, I wouldnt care. I would let people make their choices.
Reconfigure motorcycles, present and future, to three wheels to help maintain balance. Also add more warning lights, limit speed and reduce engine exaust sounds. Wouldn’t this be helpful to all drivers, motorcycle and automobiles alike?
History…motorcycle deaths in Kansas have gradually and generally increased since 1995 when there were 15. This naturally develops as more and more people are buying and riding motorcycles.
More targets for inattentive drivers to run down. More unlicensed morons going too fast and riding while drinking. More inexperienced riders who have not taken any type of safety course. All that adds up to more accidents. This year is not a highly unusual break in a 10 year pattern.
The ‘quick fix’ of calling for helmet laws amazes me. Never once, anywhere or anytime has anyone shown the primary cause of death of motorcyclists. There are many motorcycle fatalities caused by blunt force trauma to the thoracic region of the body…yet people blindly call for helmet laws.
I have seen proponents say that since motorcycle racers wear helmets, then so should motorcyclists. The same could be said for Nascar racers. Anyone want to wear helmets in cars? After all, far more people die in car accidents than motorcycles.
Equating a seat belt law with a helmet law is comparing apples and oranges. A seat belt helps protect the entire body. A helmet covers part of the head and can contribute to neck injuries. Helmets are hot, heavy and contribute to fatique. There are fundamental differences, but the quick fix of supporting a helmet law is much easier than looking past the obvious.
Promoting helmet laws obscures the complex safety issues..right of way violations, lack of license and training, poor judgment, etc. Passing a helmet law while ignoring all the other factors is totally irresponsible.
Oh yes..have a helmet law..watch total deaths decline–due to a reduction in numbers of bikes on the road. Yet the slaughter caused by inattentive idiots on their cell phones, the right of way violations will continue. 512 motorcyclists died in California last year…while wearing helmets.
Drivers are kiling motorcyclists in record numbers, and are being fined a whopping $90. There were 8,871 right of way violation caused accidents in Kansas in 2004. There were only 2,654 drunk driving accidents. It is time to put some teeth into the law that is killing not only motorcyclists, but also bicyclists, pedestrians, and other drivers.
By the way..since as many pedestrians die every year as motorcyclists, where is the call for helmets for pedestrians? Or would that just annoy too many people?
Raptor — Excellent post … presumably from a motorcycle rider yourself. Of course, motorcycle drivers are also automobile drivers so you see the situation from both sides.
You mentioned a pet peeve of mine. That is, driving cars while talking on cell phones. I suspect motorcycle riders also have a system to do this, I don’t know.
Talking on cell phones is equally dangerous as driving while intoxicated, in my opinion. But there is NO ground swell to make this illegal most likely because so many drivers are doing it. I saw a collision last night near Lawrence-Dumont Stadium after the fireworks show. I would bet my left arm, not my right arm, that one or both drivers were talking on cell phones.
If people wish to ride without helmets then let ‘em. Just as long as I don’t have to foot the bill for their hospital tab, if the get in an accident.
Viva La Revolucion Blanco!!!
Thanks, JWink…one additional line of thought.
We have a seat belt law because nobody fought it. The legislature didn’t get any opposition to it, and it passed. Many, many people complain about it now, but how many fought it at the time?
How much intrusion into our lives are we willing to let the government have? There were about 3,000 motorcycle deaths last year in the US. If this is TRULY a claim about saving lives, let us do something about the 700,000 estimated deaths caused by heart problems. How many peope would let the government mandate “legal” cholesterol levels? How many people would accept a government weight limit for people? AFter all, if it is truly about saving lives no matter what, let’s make smoking illegal tomorrow. Let’s ban alcohol. Let’s make sky diving illegal..and swimming…etc.
Does it sound totally ridiculous? But who is going to stand up to the government and when? The seat belt laws were passed with almost no opposition…and yet people complain after the fact. There is still some freedom in this country, and I enjoy the freedom of dressing myself–at least today.
So why don’t we put seatbelts on motorcycles?
“Honestly Officer… I did not see the Motorcycle!”, the famous words of the little old lady about the accident. In twenty years of riding I can honestly say that only twice was the accident or near accident my fault for being inattentive. I have been ran off the road several times and at least twice I can swear it was intentional. Do helmets save lives? The only time I could say a helmet did save a live was with my friend, a car pulled out right in front of him. He T-bone and the crash launched him into the air, he came head first on the hood. He hit so hard that the emblem Bell was imprinted in his forehead. In fact even today nearly twenty years later if he get mad enough suddenly you see “Bell” on his forehead! I am not kiddy Bell God I love to get him mad. To the point if not for the helmet it would have been his skull, so I would say the helmet did save him from a crashed skull.
Some time it is the rider, new riders make mistakes, first you are the one that needs to be attentive assuming that no one see you is safe riding. Second is that far to many want their first bike to be the 1200 cc road hog or 1300 cc rice racer. More bike then ability, a big bike is heavier and needs more ability to handled. Its like rabbit hunting with a 105 cannon. An ego can take many blows and withstand the laughter received from riding a small cycle till that skills are learned. You may only get one time of making a mistake based on lack of ability.
A helmet law based on revenge, “well I have to wear a seat belt, so you …” is childish. Only in certain situations will a helmet make a difference. most of the time it will not, I would suggest new riders wear a helmet, you are an accident waiting to happen. Not putting new riders down, but you will make several mistakes before you learn. Ask anyone that has ridden for years how many they made.
Wearing a helmet is probably a good idea. I’m a Harley rider and for some reason, it’s harder to put that helmet on than when I rode a Kawasaki. I used to do a lot of off-road riding on dirt bikes and ATVs. When I ride off road, I ALWAYS wear a helmet. I flipped a 364 pound four-wheeler at 60+mph and came down on my head upside down still “in the saddle”. The helmet went through my shoulder, but it saved me from getting killed. Helmets won’t stop all head trauma deaths, but they’re a lot better than nothing. They probably should be mandated by law.
Sorry Rap. I see your point, but….
“Wearing a helmet is probably a good idea.”
In my opinion if X says the above, it is probably true.
Well I don’t ride a motorcycle. But I’ll concur with XXX.
Why stop at mandating helmets? Why not make riders also wear kevlar jackets, leather chaps and motocross boots?I have questioned where we are to draw the line between freedom and protection. Is it better to allow a man the personal freedom to choose his own fate, or is it better to mandate some things, realize that by protecting him we are also protecting those who depend upon, love, and support him.While I personally don’t like the idea of mandated protection, I still wear a helmet and/or seat belt because I know there are others who really depend on me being here tomorrow.
I haven’t ridden a motorcycle for years because no matter how great a rider I was… it was never good enough. There will ALWAYS be drivers that “don’t see you” because of the sun, they weren’t looking, they were daydreaming, talking, fooling with the radio.. there are a million excuses. Point is.. dead is dead and head trauma happens to the best riders. My suggestion is ALWAYS wear a helmet.. and always assume that car does NOT see you!
My second suggestion is to require ALL motorcycle companies to install GPS like transmitters on ALL street legal motorcycles. Then require ALL Automobile manufacturers to install receivers on EVERY new car. If the receiver senses a motorcycle within a reasonable area around the vehicle, then a “motorcycle warning” light would come on. Awareness can and will save lives, and it is worth the cost.
Writerdog…you make a lot of sense (as usual!)
The recent rash of accidents have been mostly caused by lack of attention and right of way violations. Case in point, Kevin McVeigh was killed March 13th at the intersection of 27th and Meridian. He was driving at the speed limit, had a license, insurance, etc., and a woman turned left in front of him. He died of massive internal injuries.
This is NOT about helmets..but about awareness. The car drivers are killing not just motorcyclists but each other. There have been 6 fatal crashes throughout Kansas in the last week caused by right of way violations.
ROW violations were involved in over 8,000 accidents in Kansas in 2004 (source, Kansas DOT), while drunk driving was involved in less than 1/3rd that many. It is time to put some teeth into the laws, much like MADD has done. People are literally getting away with murder because they don’t stop, or look, or yield.
It is not about helmets, seat belts, kevlar or anything of the sort. It is about right of way violations that cause injury and death.
That said..yes, let’s mandate helmets. They supposedly save lives. People here are concerned about saving lives..so lets mandate helmets–for everyone. After all, 10 times as many people die in car accidents as they do in motorcycle wrecks, and Kansas has one of the lowest seat belt usage rates in the nation. A helmet is a lot easier to enforce.
There is a group in California pushing for a national helmet law for ALL motor vehicle operators.. under the banner of equal justice for ALL. Let’s hear how great helmets are for everyone, shall we?
Any takers? Or are you just concerned about motorcyclists lives? Forcing helmets on one group while ignoring a group that has 10 times as many fatlities is a little one sided, wouldn’t you say? After all, race car driver wear them, construction workers wear them, fighter pilots wear them…let’s require helmets for EVERYONE. Kids on school busses, pedestrians, farm equipment operators. Equal justice under the law. Works for me.
I see it in every news article, the media includes “he was NOT wearing a helmet” regardless of injuries. Could have a broken leg, and the paper would report, He was NOT wearing a helmet.
Helmets have nothing to do with the number of crashes recently. Reducing accidents through awareness will save lives. Relying on a plastic hat is overly simplistic and wishful thinking.
Good comments above – especially raptor. Problem I have with helmets is their restriction of vision and hearing. Hearing is a sense we can loose sight of but I think it helps the rider out there.
Recently two bicyclists were run down near Town east. According to police they were doing everything right – helmets, bright clothes, etc. One is dead and one maimed. As for the driver who ran them down – totally unhurt.
I think there is a real problem with drivers CHOOSING to not see cyclists (both motor and bi).
Seatbelts (in my car), by the way, do not restrict my ability to drive in the way a helmet does.
What do helmets have to do with all the accidents lately? Either some riders were being really stupid (driving awful fast or drunk) or the motorcycles were being run over.
Saying a helmet law is needed because car drivers can’t drive is blaming the bikers for being run over.
I find that motorists are far more cycle aware than they were 20 years ago; I haven’t kicked in a door for a long time. Things that don’t seem important to a motorist, sure do to the biker, I’m constantly amazed how few turn signals are used, and particularly how many red lights are run. These things are very dangerous to a biker, with or without a helmet.
Well said, Gster. As those of us who have ridden for a few decades know, there is no such thing as a fender bender on a bike. The idiots have always been out there, and they always will.
Anyone catch the story about the woman that died yesterday? Drove into the rear end of a truck–no brakes, no swerving. Had that been a bike, there likely would have been another motorcycle fatality–helmet or not.
The recent accidents prove only that more people are running into motorcycles.
I wear a helmet, and have always. I just hope, after an incident, to be able get up and strangle the motorist that did me in!
Someone mentioned costs of accidents….according to ksdot.org, in 2004 there were 1,013 accidents involving motorcycles at an estimated cost of $202 million.
During the same year, there were 191,059 accidents involving other vehicles, at an estimated cost of $10.12 Billion, or 50 times as much.
Yep..helmets for everyone seems to be the way to go. We want to ‘reduce costs’, and “save lives” and helmets of course are wonderful. Where is the clamor for saving lives and reducing costs for everyone? Fair is fair…let’s require helmets everywhere!!
This piecemeal approach is inefficient and time-consuming; let’s go ahead and make everything illegal and be done with it!
Rap, I don’t like it any more than you do, but I see helmet laws coming. I don’t look at them any different than seatbelt laws. If it was just the rider, it would be a different story, but we all know people who’ve been killed or left brain-damaged by head trauma from a motorcycle wreck. I’m afraid that no matter what statistics you quote, you’re not going to convince anybody that helmets aren’t a good idea. And demanding that car drivers wear helmets won’t accomplish anything. It’s all about perception.
I’ll be the first to agree, most of the responsibility for motorcycle accidents lies with car drivers. But that’s not going to change. As long as people think it’s ok to talk on the cell phone, touch up their make up, slam down a Big Mac, or fiddle with the radio while driving, there’s going to be accidents due to inattentive driving.
A question for you current cyclists: My experience with helmets is from long ago – have they improved allowing better vision/hearing? Have you had similar issues as I have with those?
Ben- Cycle riding is 110% defensive by nature. I have had no hearing/vision problems that I can attribute to wearing a helmet.
As a backseat rider I’ve had no problems w/ helmets. (man I really really miss MM’s Honda Blackbird – damn that thing was FUN!)
As I stated on the fireworks thread…the fault of many of the latest motorcycle accidents is lack of training. These people are buying/riding motorcycles as way of better fuel economy than cars and don’t know the proper way to drive.
Julie..
You are soooo right. Training and licensing could make all the difference in the world. But, as noted earlier, there is no requirement to have a motorcycle license to buy a motorcycle.
And XXX? You are so right in saying a helmet law for car drivers would never fly. Shame, isn’t it? The people yelling the loudest for motorcycle helmets would scream bloody murder against car driver helmets. Little hypocrisy, maybe?
Education, awareness, sobriety, etc., can do more for safety than all the helmet laws in the world.
“But, as noted earlier, there is no requirement to have a motorcycle license to buy a motorcycle.”
Maybe not, but anyplace I ever test rode a motorcycle at a dealer, they asked about a license. I suppose it’s different if you’re buying from an individual. I’m thinking about selling my Harley. Nobody will test ride it without a license, and I’ll hold their license while they test ride.
I never took a motorcycle safety course. I was a biker when they passed the law about having a license, so I was “grandfathered” in. I’ve been riding for 40 years. I guess having survived that long suggests a certian skill level. I’ve been scuffed up a few times, but only once seriously.
XXX – what size Harley?
Ben, XLH 1200. It’s the big engine Sportster with hyper-charger.
X–
I have also been riding for over 40 years…and have (in the past 7 years) taken the advanced motorcycle riders course..twice.
Without exaggeration, I can say what I learned in that course has saved my life at least once..maybe more. It is a one day course, you ride your own bike, and they teach you things you never knew you could do…like lock up both wheels, in a curve, and maintain control.
Bigger than what I am sort of looking for … been a long time off a bike …
Raptor- Where can I find out more about this course. Is it a State of Kansas thing, or the city? I’ve never heard about it before.
Rap, that sounds interesting. More info? When? Where? Cost? I’m pretty good on a bike, but There’s always room for improvement. A lot of my skills come from many years of “doing it in the dirt”, But I have yet to reach perfection, lol. I’m currently building a V8 Trike from the ground up. It’s built with safety in mind. It has a roll cage, dune buggy seats, and 4-point safety harness (seatbelts on steroids, lol).
Here you go…
The following is not an advertisement, but one location I am familiar with (my wife is taking the beginner course in a couple weeks, I have friends that have completed the experienced course here. I took the experienced rider course in California)
http://www.teachmetoride.com/experienced_course.htm
XXX,When you get that bad boy done you’ll have to take me for a spin. Let me know when to bring my helmet!!
Thanks Rap, I’ll check it out.
Rap- Thanks also.
Julie, I even provide helmets. I hope to have the monster on the road by next spring. It’s an unbelievably complicated project. I’ve been working on it for a year now (not including design).
X- I’ve a helmet and would like a ride also.
G
Hmmm, I may need to cash in on this, lol!
X–You probably could. I drove a friend’s V-8 trike (Ford 460 ci) in California once…it was like a carnival ride! Have never felt a throttle response like that in my life…would pay to ride something like that again!
The stuff of a spring meetup in the making perhaps…………..
X- If you don’t have the CID, think nitrous (?).
You guys be safe out there. Seriously. I don’t ride a motorcycle, but I always give riders in front of me plenty of space.
gster, I’m considering that (nitro). I didn’t go for cubic inches, I went for horsepower. I’m using a 289 Ford engine, bored, stroked, and cammed (of course, max chrome). It’s the lightest V8 I could find. I have it figured to whistle up 275-300 hp. Keep in mind, we’re talking about a V8 powered Trike. How much brute hp do I need? I’m determined to survive this thing. Ed “Big Daddy” Roth quit building Trikes. He called them “Widow Makers”. From my research, keeping the front end on a trike is problematic. I’m fabricating my front forks, drag-link (Springer), and I think I have it figured out. It’s going to be a long rake.
X- I was talking NOX not nitro. You’re right about 289/302 power/weight ratio- they get going! You’ll have to really watch wheel stands on a trike- you’ll come up and over on yourself!! I imagine that you are using a narrowed car rearend, transmission, etc.Are you going to license this for the street?
We’re talking the same stuff, Nitrous Oxide. I used an 8″ Ford rearend (cheap), shortened each axle 4″. I machined a coupler that connects the transmission directly to the rearend (no driveshaft) connected by 1 u-joint. That cuts the leingth of the Trike way down. Wheelies are always a problem with an over-powered Trike, but the engine is ahead of me, so it should be controllable. I have a hell of a lot of meat (tires) on the ground, so I’ll have to be careful, but that’s a lot of what the roll cage is about. The thing has a huge air foil wing on top of the roll cage.Now I’m trying to decide whether to mount the radiator on the back and pipe water forward, or take the easy out and mount it up front.
And yes, it’ll be street legal. I’m going to ride it, not look at it, lol.
Helmet laws (to get back on topic) are as bad an idea as seatbelt laws.
While it can be shown from some of the statistics above, the state has a compelling interest, in terms of cost saving, in passing and enforcing said laws. But at some point, someone has to decide if the state’s interest overrides ones freedom to choose, even if that choice potentially increases the risk to one’s own life. (Note: risks to others is an entirely different beast, and more applicable to motorists of the four wheeled variety.)
I haven’t ridden a motorcycle in years, but I am a bicyclist. While I never get on my bike (and the same was true of motorcycles) without a helmet, I think it one’s own decision to do so. I always wear my seatbelt as well.
For too long, the government (all levels in the US, and both parties are equally guilty) has been puching the idea that with more funding, they can protect us better, from each other, from ourselves, etc.
It’s time government stopped trying to be ‘big brother’, telling people what to do, and started listening to the people.
As for the argument that helmets restrict vision and/or hearing, you’ve either not worn a helmet in years, or you’re just rationalizing a decision you have made and aren’t willing to examine. Helmets do increase your odds of survival in a motorcycle (and bicycle) accident. The better option though, is to aim for less accidents by increasing driver awareness, making it more difficult to get and maintain a driver’s license (for any vehicle), and making penalties for DWS (driving while stupid) much more severe.
Cheers.
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—–Original Message—–From: Bruce Arnold [mailto:Bruce@LdrLongDistanceRider.com]Sent: Friday, October 05, 2007 12:45 PMTo: J. Richard Capka (rick.capka@fhwa.dot.gov)Cc: George W. Bush (president@whitehouse.gov); Nancy Pelosi (americanvoices@mail.house.gov); Mary Peters (mary.peters@dot.gov); Nicole Nason (NHTSA.custservice@dot.gov); Mark Rosenker (mark.rosenker@ntsb.gov); David Winter (david.winter@fhwa.dot.gov)Subject: Open Letter to FHWA Administrator J. Richard Capka
5 October 2007
J. Richard Capka (rick.capka@fhwa.dot.gov)AdministratorFederal Highway AdministrationBldg. SFC Room E87-3141200 New Jersey Ave. SEWashington, DC 20590202-366-0650 (tel)202-366-3244 (fax)
Re: Motorcycle Travel Symposium, NTSB Conference Facility – L’Enfant Plaza, 10-12 October 2007
Mr. Capka:
The tentative agenda for next week’s Motorcycle Travel Symposium clearly states that “better estimates of motorcycle travel are needed”…
http://tinyurl.com/ywlqa7
…and for that concession by its sponsors, I applaud the Federal Highway Administration (”FHWA”) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (”NHTSA”). And unless and until we have more reliable reporting of statistics such as motorcycle registrations, motorcycle vehicle miles traveled (”VMT”), injuries and fatalities from motorcycle crashes and the actual causes thereof, I ask you and your symposium participants to join me in demanding that NHTSA and its lobbying ally, the National Transportation Safety Board (”NTSB”), cease and desist from spinning statistics that they know are flawed in support of misguided, Haddonistic safety agendas:
http://tinyurl.com/2ttq9v
For evidence of same, Mr. Capka, we need look no further than your 30 January 2007 joint memorandum with NHTSA Administrator Nicole Nason…
http://tinyurl.com/2ysogq
…wherein you state “Since fatality rates based on VMT are the best measure of exposure risk for motor vehicle crashes, it is critical that FHWA receive accurate, complete, and timely VMT data to determine accurate crash rates and to monitor trends…” only to follow up a few lines later with the blatant admission that “…the reporting of motorcycle VMT data in HPMS is optional and consequently, many States choose not to report it.” Despite that knowledge, in their meeting of 11 September 2007–nine months later–the NTSB used VMT-based measures to support their “band-aid on a bullet wound” motorcycle safety recommendations…
http://tinyurl.com/ytxee7
…specifically quoting NHTSA statistics suggesting that in 2006 motorcycles accounted for over 10% of all traffic fatalities but less than [0.4%|0.34%|0.034% ... they couldn't seem to decide] of total vehicle miles traveled (VMT). Obviously, any computation based on a meaningless statistic is itself a meaningless statistic. The NTSB knew this … their Dr. Sweeney even warned them about it … but Chairman Mark Rosenker ignored her comments.
In that same session, the NTSB quoted NHTSA statistics claiming that in 2006 motorcycles represented only 2% of all registered vehicles but over 10% of all fatalities. And again, they knew or should have known that statement may be false. As Dr. Sweeney acknowledged, the registered motorcycle statistics upon which that comparison is based may be seriously understated. In other words, for all we know at this point, the number of motorcyclist fatalities as a percentage of the number of motorcycles on the road may have actually DECREASED over the past ten years!
DESPITE THAT KNOWLEDGE, and as part of what I suspect may be collusion between the NTSB and NHTSA to circumvent the state lobbying restrictions imposed on the latter by TEA-21 (the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century)…
http://tinyurl.com/2l4evp
…on 3 October 2007 the NTSB included the following paragraph in a series of lobbying letters released to our state governments:
“The Safety Board is concerned about motorcycle safety and the growing number of riders who have been killed or injured in motorcycle crashes. Since 1997, the number of motorcycle fatalities has increased 127 percent, an increase that far exceeds that of any other form of transportation. In addition, the number of motorcycle fatalities in any recent year has been more than double the number of deaths that same year from accidents in aviation, rail, marine, and pipeline combined. In 2006, for example, 4,810 motorcyclists died in crashes, and motorcycle fatalities accounted for more than 10 percent of all motor vehicle crash fatalities.[1] The following figure clearly shows the rising numbers. Although rising motorcycle use may partly explain this trend, increases in fatalities have outpaced increases in activity measures such as motorcycle registrations and vehicle miles traveled.”
http://tinyurl.com/25h3cq
THIS PARAGRAPH IS A MASTERPIECE OF POLITICAL SPIN. They say the best lies are half truth, Mr. Capka, and that certainly applies here:
1. Yes, motorcycle fatalities may have increased 127 percent since their historic low of 2,116 in 1997…
http://tinyurl.com/2fdhjv
…but why not compare them to their historic high of 5,144 in 1980? That is an equally rational comparison which reflects a DECREASE in motorcycle fatalities.
2. So what if “…the number of motorcycle fatalities in any recent year has been more than double the number of deaths that same year from accidents in aviation, rail, marine, and pipeline combined”? According to HospitalInfection.org, “Every year in this country, two million patients contract infections in hospitals, and an estimated 103,000 die as a result, as many deaths as from AIDS, breast cancer, and auto accidents combined.”
http://tinyurl.com/36bzok
In other words, last year 21.4 times as many people died from going to the hospital as died from riding a motorcycle. And how relevant is that? At least as relevant as the NTSB planes, tranes and pipelines comparison. Even more relevant is this comparison:
“…as NTSB Chairman, you either knew or should have known that (a) we have 236 million cellphone subscribers on our roadways, (b) 73% of them are talking while they are driving, (c) cellphone conversations impair their driving skills as much if they were intoxicated with alcohol, consequently (d) they are four times more likely to cause or be involved in an accident than motorists who responsibly shut up and steer, and resultantly (e) assuming reports of the Oklahoma Highway Safety Office are a reliable measure, roughly ONE IN FOUR ACCIDENTS in 2006 occurred when a driver was talking on the phone. So barring evidence to the contrary, as NTSB Chairman you either knew or should have known that it would be reasonable to assume that cellphone conversation-impaired motorists could have been responsible for 25 percent (or more) of the 2,575,000 traffic injuries and 42,642 traffic fatalities reported by NHTSA for 2006…. And rather than using the taxpayer-provided resources of your bureaucratic office to pursue restrictions on the use of cell phones while driving, which might have saved 10,660 lives (25% of 42,642 fatalities) last year, you chose instead to go on what the press calls a mandatory helmet law “crusade”, which in comparison might have saved at best only [747] lives. Had you made the responsible choice, Mr. Rosenker, our nation could be saving almost 15 TIMES AS MANY LIVES by restricting the use of cellphones by drivers rather than requiring helmets for riders.”
http://tinyurl.com/ytxee7
3. Yes, last year there may have been 4,810 motorcycle fatalities that accounted for more than ten percent of all traffic deaths, but that in no way supports the NHTSA/NTSB lobbying assertion that helmet laws will solve the problem. By NHTSA’s own numbers…
http://tinyurl.com/ynsrms
…of the 4,810 motorcycle fatalities in 2006, 2,792 (58%) were helmeted, and 2,018 (42%) were not helmeted. 58% (2,792) were wearing helmets and DIED ANYWAY. For the remaining 2,018, apply the 37% factor supplied by the NTSB here…
http://tinyurl.com/2xjqc6
…and the actual number of lives that might have been saved if ALL riders had been helmeted in ALL 50 states ALL year is only 747. This is not to say that 747 deaths–16% of the total–are not important. Rather it is to emphasize that the NHTSA/NTSB helmet law lobby does nothing at all to address 84% of motorcycle fatalities!
4. Their paragraph concludes with “…increases in fatalities have outpaced increases in activity measures such as motorcycle registrations and vehicle miles traveled.” And as I explained above, that is a specious claim.
AND THE SPIN DOESN’T STOP THERE, MR. CAPKA. Let’s take a look at this recent NHTSA report:
DOT HS 810 834 September 2007 (Fatal Two-Vehicle Motorcycle Crashes)http://tinyurl.com/273y2f
One of the more obvious findings of this report was that “the role of the motorcycle was recorded as the striking vehicle” in most cases. Of course! That is what happens when a negligent, care-less, distracted or cellphone conversation-impaired motorist turns left or pulls out in front of a motorcyclist. And of course, “more than 90 percent of the two-vehicle motorcycle crashes involving passenger vehicles occurred on non-interstate roadways”. Roads without median barriers make it easier for irresponsible drivers to violate a motorcyclist’s right-of-way!
What wasn’t so obvious was the implication of this conclusion: “For the passenger vehicle drivers involved in [fatal] two-vehicle motorcycle crashes, 35 percent of the driver-related factor was failure to yield right-of-way compared to only 4 percent for motorcycle operators.”
One might easily interpret that to mean that the automobile driver was at fault in these accidents only 35 percent of the time, which would conversely mean that “it was the biker’s fault” 65 percent of the time. But that is not the truth.
The truth can be found, well obfuscated, in Table 22. The obfuscation begins with the selection of a data presentation format in which the “…sums of the numbers and percents are greater than the total drivers as each driver may be coded with more than one factor.” The obfuscation is perfected by using a doubletalk category breakdown in which driver offenses like making improper turns, failure to keep in proper lane, failure to obey traffic signs or signals, and even driving on the wrong side of road are reported separately and thereby partially or entirely EXCLUDED FROM THE 35 PERCENT RIGHT-OF-WAY VIOLATION STATISTIC. The truth can be found by applying this formula: “1 – ((711 + 26) / 1792) = 0.588727679″. Logic precludes any double counting in the “None reported” or “Unknown” categories, and for all other categories, the automobile driver either caused or contributed to the death of the motorcyclist. So, the sad but undeniable truth is this:
AUTOMOBILE DRIVERS WERE RESPONSIBLE FOR EITHER CAUSING OR CONTRIBUTING TO THE DEATHS OF AT LEAST 58.87% OF ALL MOTORCYCLISTS KILLED IN TW0-VEHICLE CRASHES IN 2005.
Sadder still is what can be gleaned by combining this discovery with the not-so-obvious revelation from Table 21 that although motorists were at fault almost 60% of the time, over 70% of the time they walked away with no punishment, no penalty, no fine, and not even so much as a traffic ticket. And saddest of all is the extent to which NHTSA went to effectively bury these smoking guns in the framework of this presentation.
MY POINT HERE, MR. CAPKA, is essentially the same point I tried to convey to NTSB Member Deborah Hersman over a year ago, in my position paper of 2 September 2006:
http://tinyurl.com/2×88so
My point here is to try to get you, the FHWA, NHTSA, the NTSB, your symposium participants, the media, all motorcyclists and the public to realize that the issue here is that helmets are not the issue here. As does the American Motorcyclist Association (”AMA”), I support the voluntary use of helmets:
http://tinyurl.com/4heqs
Legally requiring their use by motorcyclists only, however, is both absolutely discriminatory and relatively ineffective. Focusing on crash survival instead of crash prevention punishes victims for the crime, and makes no more sense than trying to reduce the murder rate by mandating Kevlar vests for the innocent rather than prison or worse for the guilty. As I wrote last year, “Helmets and other defensive measures CANNOT prevent or lower the probability of motorcycle accidents. Proactive abatement of negligent, distracted, impaired and inattentive motorists CAN.”
THE ISSUE HERE IS THAT HELMETS ARE NOT THE ISSUE HERE, MR. CAPKA. And if NHTSA and the NTSB do not stop using bad numbers to promote bad public policy through illegal lobbying efforts, be on notice that there are many concerned and dedicated American motorcyclists who will not rest until the heads of those agencies are dethroned, and the taxpayer funding for those agencies is diminished.
Speaking strictly for myself and no other individuals or organizations,
Bruce Arnold
Bruce@LdrLongDistanceRider.comAuthor and Publisher, LdrLongDistanceRider.comCo-Moderator, Bruce-n-Ray’s Biker ForumPremier Member, Iron Butt AssociationSustaining Member, Motorcycle Riders Foundation2007 Chairman’s Circle, American Motorcyclist Association