Whoever did the study....ask them how many lives could be saved if automobile drivers/passengers wore a helmet.

See how far that gets.

Chuck

 

I think so much focus on texting is doing everybody a disservice.

Distracted driving of any form is what should be cracked down on. I've seen reading, doing makeup, getting dressed, turned around fiddling with infants, trying to find that dropped cigarette or food or whatever, the list could go on forever.

 

Seems the majority of the crashes I've been around of or heard of in my parts have been cagers turning left directly in front of the mc. The others have been rider error or hitting an animal.

As far as doing something proactive to try to keep people turning in front of me is trying to go slower which is usually the speed limit where I feel is a known area for crashes. On busy four lane city roads, I try to stay close to other cagers where if an on coming vehicle tries to turn left in front me they'll get hit by the other cager and atleast they'll see them where the might not see me.

I try to wear reflective gear at night. We had an older guy lose it on a wet road one evening only to get ran over by a cager that didn't see him in the road.

Two things I won't ride without is gloves and my helmet, it's only a half helmet. The wife told me if I go to Tx and don't wear it and get brain damage she was not going to wipe my butt. Aa a teen I hit a dog and the first things to hit the road was my hands and my head. My hands seemed to take the longest to heal and hurt the worst.

My feelings on helmets is the same for seatbelts. It should be a law till your 18 then your on your own.

 

A 10% increase doesn't mean much. If the percentage of people who ride also went up 10% or more of course the percentage of accidents will go up as well. These studies can be skewed to present just about any data you want them.
As for me, I used to ride without a helmet but about a year or 2 ago I started wearing mine every time I ride. My little baby grand daughter made me rethink my position on helmets. I now store the helmet on my motorcycle seat so I have to make a conscious decision to wear it or leave it behind. I know it's no guarantee that I will survive if I wreck but I think it will at least increase my chances.
I will tell you that I cheated earlier today, I had to run to the local Auto Zone for some Loc Tite and being such a nice day and its only a couple miles I went without a helmet. I'd be lying if I said it didn't feel nice to have no lid on.

 

You are spot on with the texting.. most of my close calls are from a distracted teen. Instead of taking guns away...the goooberment should focus on mandatory vehicle technology that disables texting when the engine is running.

 

Well, Columbus Ohio just had a motorcycle cop involved in a riding fatality about 7 hours ago and my town just had a fatality among three motorcyclists riding home from a memorial ride for another fatality...

helmets wouldn't have solved all the issues but quite frankly the frequency and proximity is starting to hit home.

it's time to ride smarter and safer.

 

Was it a 10% rise over the last year or just that deaths were up 10%. Just wondering if it is due to warmer weather and more riders out or what. Regardless, 2 good riding tips. Thanks.

 

Deleted

 

I agree, I was ran over from behind in Northern Nebraska back in the 70's and there was no texting then.

 

ABATE of Illinois (which I belong to) did a study with the Illinois Dept. of Transportation a few years ago on causes of fatal motorcycle accidents in the state. It switched back and forth each year for the several years that were studied but the main causes were cars (and trucks) failing to yield, pulling out or turning in front of a biker or impaired driving by the motorcycle rider. We are as much at fault for the fatalities since a leading cause is rider impairment, usually alcohol but drugs too. Watch how many riders are riding with high speed and other unsafe acts and much of that can be traced back to impairment.