Eight out of 10 motorcycle crashes result in injury or death compared with 2 out of 10 car crashes. The more extensive use of anti-lock braking systems (ABS) might be part of the answer to decreasing the number of deaths and injuries related to the surge in motorcycle use. Motorcycle registrations increased to 7.7 million in 2008, up from 4.3 million in 2000. The IIHS and the HLDI have determined that ABS are saving lives and reducing injury.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) is an independent, nonprofit, scientific, and educational organization dedicated to reducing the losses — deaths, injuries, and property damage — from crashes on the nation's highways.The Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI) is affiliated with the IIHS and shares and supports the mission of the IIHS through scientific studies of insurance data representing the human and economic losses resulting from the ownership and operation of different types of vehicles and by publishing insurance loss results by vehicle make and model. The following are excerpts from a recent HLDI study.
Stopping a motorcycle is trickier than stopping a car. For one thing, the front and rear wheels typically have separate brake controls. In an emergency, a rider faces a split-second choice to either brake hard, which can lock the wheels and cause an overturn, or hold back on braking and risk running headlong into the emergency. This is when anti locks can help by reducing brake pressure when they detect impending lockup and then increasing the pressure again when traction is restored. Brake pressure is evaluated multiple times per second, so riders may brake fully without fear of locking up.
The main finding is that motorcycles with anti-locks versus without are 37 percent less likely to be in fatal crashes per 10,000 registered vehicle years. Bolstering this finding is a separate HLDI analysis of insurance claims filed for
damage to motorcycles. Bike models with anti-locks have 22 percent fewer claims for damage per insured vehicle year than the same models without anti-locks.
Bottom - Bottom Line - all things being equal - buy a motorcycle with an anti-lock braking system!
Utah Bike Law is a law firm and its lawyers represent motorcycle riders and their families across Utah including the counties and cities of Beaver, Box Elder, Cache, Carbon, Daggett, Davis, Duchesne, Emery, Garfield, Grand, Iron, Juab, Kane, Millard, Morgan, Piute, Rich, Salt Lake, San Juan, Sanpete, Sevier, Summit, Tooele, Uintah, Utah, Wasatch, Washington, Wayne, Weber, American Fork, Beaver, Bountiful, Brigham City, Cedar City, Delta, Draper, Duchesne, Fillmore, Heber, Kamas, Kanab, Kaysville, Layton, Lehi, Logan, Moab, Murray, Nephi, Ogden, Orem, Park City, Price, Provo, Richfield, Riverton, Roy, Salt Lake City, Sandy, South Jordan, St. George, Tooele, Vernal, West Jordan, and West Valley City. Utah Bike Law and its attorneys are licensed to practice law only in the State of Utah and maintain offices in Salt Lake City, Utah. No attorney client relationship is established by simply visiting this website.
University of Utah Study Proves Cell Phone Use & Driving is Like Driving Drunk
Written by George Tait
Wednesday, 31 March 2010 08:26
Only a talented few can simultaneously talk on a cell phone and drive safely, according to a study from researchers at the University of Utah. Only 2.5 percent of all people were found by the study to be "supertaskers." The pertinent fact is that 97.5 percent of us can't drive safely while talking on the phone -- even a hands-free phone.
For the vast majority of people, performance suffered in both driving and comprehension. Braking time increased by 20 percent while following distances increased by 30 percent. Memory performance declined 11 percent and math performance 3 percent. The deterioration in performance was comparable to the impairment seen in drunken drivers, the authors said.
The authors caution that more studies are needed. The study will be published this week in the journal Psychonomic Bulletin and Review.
You, are probably not one of the 2.5 percent supertaskers - right? Wrong! Chances are you are not a supertasker and neither am I - well probably not me.
This raises a question - should be be allowing the use of cell phones while driving at all? I think on a clearly scientific level the answer is no. I handle a lot of motorcycle crash cases and in a majority of those cases cell phone use of the negligent driver is an issue. There are more and more studies like the University of Utah study that shows that talking on a cell phone is similar in impairment to driving drunk. We do not allow drunk driving and we should not allow cell phone use while driving!
As it so happens the University of Utah developed some technology that they licensed to a group named Acendo which further developed and marketed that technology. That technology effectively stops the driver from using their cell phone while driving. This technology is now widely available to everyone for a reasonable cost - about $100. For a very interesting look on how this new technology came to market visit the Acendo page and follow their news and events chronologically.
The gadget can be reviewed and bought at SafeDrivingSystem and I highly recommend it. I recommend it to all people who allow their sons and daughters to drive their cars. I highly recommend it to owners of fleet vehicles who still allow their employees to talk and drive thereby endangering the lives of their employees and all users of public roads - especially motorcycle riders.
Cell phone use while driving and has become a topic of national concern. Oprah is even talking about it! We need to talk with our legislators and get legislation passed that will make the penalties for using a cell phone while driving and causing a crash to be more in line with the devastating harm caused. Believe me - I will be out there waiting to sue you in behalf of the next motorcycle driver you crash into becasue you were on your cell phone!
Utah Bike Law is a law firm and its lawyers represent motorcycle riders and their families across Utah including the counties and cities of Beaver, Box Elder, Cache, Carbon, Daggett, Davis, Duchesne, Emery, Garfield, Grand, Iron, Juab, Kane, Millard, Morgan, Piute, Rich, Salt Lake, San Juan, Sanpete, Sevier, Summit, Tooele, Uintah, Utah, Wasatch, Washington, Wayne, Weber, American Fork, Beaver, Bountiful, Brigham City, Cedar City, Delta, Draper, Duchesne, Fillmore, Heber, Kamas, Kanab, Kaysville, Layton, Lehi, Logan, Moab, Murray, Nephi, Ogden, Orem, Park City, Price, Provo, Richfield, Riverton, Roy, Salt Lake City, Sandy, South Jordan, St. George, Tooele, Vernal, West Jordan, and West Valley City.
Below is a reprint of an article by James Davis who is a recognized motorcycle safety expert, consultant and lecturer and created an excelent motorcycle safety website Motorcycel Tips and Techniques out of Texas.
Group riding has lots of benefits for its participants, and a few new responsibilities.
For example, recently we heard about a group ride that turned sour when the lead bike failed to recognize where he was supposed to make a left turn and drove past that road. The second bike in the group did recognize the turnoff and decided to make it. He turned left and the third bike promptly ran into him.
What went wrong? It was argued that if nobody was following too closely then the actions of bike two would have saved everybody in the group (other than the lead bike) from having to make a U-turn and there would have been no accident.
Probably true, but almost any group rider with experience understands that it is up to the leader to make decisions about when and where the group will change directions. It might well have been that the leader had a reason for failing to make that turn. He could, for example, have realized that the group was going too fast to safely make that turn. (If anybody in the group understands the danger to a group of making sudden moves it is an experienced lead bike.) Further, what if the second bike did not willingly make that left turn - that he had a mechanical problem such as a flat tire that caused it. Since all members of a group are expected to follow the direction set by the lead bike, UNLESS IT IS INTO DANGER, all other bikes in the group (other than the drag bike) should have attempted to avoid bike two and continue behind the leader.
An example: The past State Director for GWRRA in Texas was once leading a ride in which he took a turn too fast and left the road. Not one single rider behind him followed - they were experienced group riders, not just 'chicken'. You are, ultimately, responsible for your own ride from a safety point of view.
Bike two, in the accident described earlier, was way out of line to unilaterally decide to take over lead position - to mutiny, if you will. However, the fact that the third rider ran into the second rider suggests that she was either riding too close to the second rider, or was inattentive, or was so confused by the unorthodox behavior of bike two that she could not react fast enough to prevent the accident. Whatever the reason, bike three broke the prime directive - 'Never hit the bike in front of you!'
When you are riding in a group as other than lead or drag bike your principal activity is 'station keeping' - maintaining proper distance between yourself and the bike ahead of you. Since the vast majority of accident threats present themselves to you from the front, each person should be encouraged to focus their attention primarily in front of them. In other words, it is dangerous to spend too much time watching your rear-view mirrors. Thus, the prime directive.
That said, if you accept the prime directive and assume that all the other riders have done the same, then you are also tacitly acknowledging that you trust the rider behind you. But, of course, you may never have ridden in a group with that person before. You may not have even met that person before. Further, it is common practice to put the weakest and least experienced riders towards the back of a group. Is that not setting up for an accident?
Not at all! The weakest/least experienced riders are in the back because these are the people most likely to have an accident. Thus, they are placed towards the back so that such an accident can put the fewest other people as possible into danger. It also allows the drag bike to observe how these riders handle themselves and to work with them at stops about the little things that they may be doing wrong.
As to their potential danger to the riders in front of them, that can be managed. Let me give you an example of savvy group riding behavior by an experienced rider who became concerned that the bike following was too close to her. She simply used a hand signal telling the bike behind her to slow down.
Even though most of us have CBs, we tend to use hand signals as well - to keep those without CBs informed. While there is a stated rule that all hand signals must be passed back, most individuals in a group ride tend never to originate such a signal thinking that this is just one more job of the lead bike. The exception to this is the case where an individual rider in the group notices a hazard in the roadway and points to it so that all behind will be alerted.
An individual group rider CAN ALWAYS initiate a hand signal telling the person behind him/her to slow down. This is the way to reduce concern about an inexperienced rider in the rear driving too close to the bike ahead of him. On the other hand, nobody but the lead bike is entitled to originate a hand signal telling the person behind him/her to speed up. (This is another way of saying that spacing in a group is usually specified in terms of minimums ('no closer than 1 second') - the riders can individually decide to use a larger space.)
The prime directive, if flawed, errors on the side of conservatism. It mandates that attention be primarily directed towards the front. It mandates that you not follow too closely. It makes you think about what the bike ahead of you (closest ahead of you, not literally 'straight ahead') is doing or might do next rather than what the lead bike is up to. It gives you a modest suggestion about what to do if *you* are about to have an accident. (i.e., if you are riding in the right track, and there is a hazard in the road ahead of you, the prime directive forces you to tend to turn towards the right to avoid that hazard - thus, taking you farther away from the closest bike ahead.)
Utah Bike Law is a law firm and its lawyers represent motorcycle riders and their families across Utah including the counties and cities of Beaver, Box Elder, Cache, Carbon, Daggett, Davis, Duchesne, Emery, Garfield, Grand, Iron, Juab, Kane, Millard, Morgan, Piute, Rich, Salt Lake, San Juan, Sanpete, Sevier, Summit, Tooele, Uintah, Utah, Wasatch, Washington, Wayne, Weber, American Fork, Beaver, Bountiful, Brigham City, Cedar City, Delta, Draper, Duchesne, Fillmore, Heber, Kamas, Kanab, Kaysville, Layton, Lehi, Logan, Moab, Murray, Nephi, Ogden, Orem, Park City, Price, Provo, Richfield, Riverton, Roy, Salt Lake City, Sandy, South Jordan, St. George, Tooele, Vernal, West Jordan, and West Valley City.
As the weather warms so will the number of motorcycles on our highways. Motorcycle crashes are traumatic. Not only are they traumatic for the injured rider and sometimes their passenger but they are traumatic for the driver of the vehicle that often causes the crash and for those that witness the crash. Regardless of your opinion of motorcycle riders and if not for any other reason than to save yourself some heartache we need to watch out for each other out there.
In 2007, there were 2,332 two-vehicle fatal crashes involving a motorcycle and another type of vehicle. In 40 percent of these crashes, the other vehicle was turning left while the motorcycle was going straight, passing, or overtaking the vehicle.
Always make a visual check for motorcycles by checking mirrors and blind spots before entering or leaving a lane of traffic and at intersections.
Don't be fooled by a flashing turn signal on a motorcycle – motorcycle signals are often not self-canceling and riders sometimes forget to turn them off. Wait to be sure the motorcycle is going to turn before you proceed.
Allow more following distance, three or four seconds more, when behind a motorcycle, so the motorcyclist has enough time to maneuver or stop in an emergency. And don't tailgate. In dry conditions, motorcycles can stop more quickly than cars.
In 2007, 5,154 motorcyclists lost their lives in fatal highway crashes, an increase for the tenth straight year.
Utah Bike Law is a law firm and its lawyers represent motorcycle riders and their families across Utah including the counties and cities of Beaver, Box Elder, Cache, Carbon, Daggett, Davis, Duchesne, Emery, Garfield, Grand, Iron, Juab, Kane, Millard, Morgan, Piute, Rich, Salt Lake, San Juan, Sanpete, Sevier, Summit, Tooele, Uintah, Utah, Wasatch, Washington, Wayne, Weber, American Fork, Beaver, Bountiful, Brigham City, Cedar City, Delta, Draper, Duchesne, Fillmore, Heber, Kamas, Kanab, Kaysville, Layton, Lehi, Logan, Moab, Murray, Nephi, Ogden, Orem, Park City, Price, Provo, Richfield, Riverton, Roy, Salt Lake City, Sandy, South Jordan, St. George, Tooele, Vernal, West Jordan, and West Valley City.
In Utah you have the right to choose to wear a helmet when you are riding your motorcycle as long as you are 18 years old. I think your decision to wear or not wear a helmet is up to you - you alone - not the legislature! However...... if you are going to wear a helmet you should consider using the best helmet and that would be the new Lazer SuperSkin Motorcycle Helmet.
It is important to note that in 67% of all cases the head is affected in a motorcycle accident and, according to the European COST 327 helmet study concerning motorcyclist safety, “rotational acceleration was identified as a principal cause of head injuryâ€.
In order to understand how this phenomenon occurs, you should be aware that the brain is not fixed to the inside of the skull and the brain linings but that it floats, immersed in cerebrospinal fluid. In fact, the skull and the brain can be compared to a hollow globe that encloses a gelatinous sphere, the brain matter, which floats within the bony walls in a whole network of membranes and elastic cables (blood vessels, tissues etc).
Any impact causes instantaneous pivoting of the head, to a greater or lesser degree. Of course, the brain mass follows the rotational movement of the skull, but with a slight time delay. Kinetic energy results in the brain undergoing a rotational to-and-fro movement inside the skull.
And as described previously, this happens within the first 15 milliseconds following the impact. Clearly the violence of this rotational movement within the skull can instantaneously cause the tearing of blood vessels and nerve fibers inside the brain. This phenomenon, called “intracranial shearing†by doctors, is the cause of serious and inoperable injuries leading to serious disabilities (coma, paralysis and various other disorders) and all too often, death.
With the Lazer SuperSkin Motorcycle Helmet the rotational forces are decreased and the brain is saved!
Utah Bike Law is a law firm and its lawyers represent motorcycle riders and their families across Utah including the counties and cities of Beaver, Box Elder, Cache, Carbon, Daggett, Davis, Duchesne, Emery, Garfield, Grand, Iron, Juab, Kane, Millard, Morgan, Piute, Rich, Salt Lake, San Juan, Sanpete, Sevier, Summit, Tooele, Uintah, Utah, Wasatch, Washington, Wayne, Weber, American Fork, Beaver, Bountiful, Brigham City, Cedar City, Delta, Draper, Duchesne, Fillmore, Heber, Kamas, Kanab, Kaysville, Layton, Lehi, Logan, Moab, Murray, Nephi, Ogden, Orem, Park City, Price, Provo, Richfield, Riverton, Roy, Salt Lake City, Sandy, South Jordan, St. George, Tooele, Vernal, West Jordan, and West Valley City.
While the carnage nationwide has fallen in recent years, 37,261 individuals died in vehicular accidents in 2008 — that's still more than 10 times the number who died in the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. Most of the traffic fatalities can be attributed to excessive speed, alcohol-impairment or failure to wear seat belts. Drivers distracted while texting, eating or using their cell phones are also a growing concern. But often the roads themselves are to blame.
Scripps News has an investigative project underway titles "KILLER ROADS" and the various articles are an intense read.
The study found that the single most deadly road is the 181-mile segment of Interstate 15 that passes through San Bernardino County, Calif., and connects Los Angeles to Las Vegas. During the 15-year period of the study, 1,069 people perished in 834 accidents. That's more than double the death toll from any other road in any other county.
There is another excellent interactive map at SafeRoadMaps where you can investigate the frequency and cause of crashes across America by various methods.
Ride aware and ride safe - and if you are on any of these killer roads keep your sphincter tight!
Utah Bike Law is a law firm and its lawyers represent motorcycle riders and their families across Utah including the counties and cities of Beaver, Box Elder, Cache, Carbon, Daggett, Davis, Duchesne, Emery, Garfield, Grand, Iron, Juab, Kane, Millard, Morgan, Piute, Rich, Salt Lake, San Juan, Sanpete, Sevier, Summit, Tooele, Uintah, Utah, Wasatch, Washington, Wayne, Weber, American Fork, Beaver, Bountiful, Brigham City, Cedar City, Delta, Draper, Duchesne, Fillmore, Heber, Kamas, Kanab, Kaysville, Layton, Lehi, Logan, Moab, Murray, Nephi, Ogden, Orem, Park City, Price, Provo, Richfield, Riverton, Roy, Salt Lake City, Sandy, South Jordan, St. George, Tooele, Vernal, West Jordan, and West Valley City.
1) Motorcycle Safety Fact: Over half of all fatal motorcycle crashes involve another vehicle. Most of the time, the motorist, not the motorcyclist, is at fault. There are a lot more cars and trucks than motorcycles on the road, and some drivers don't "recognize" a motorcycle - they ignore it (usually unintentionally).
2) Motorcycle Safety Fact: Because of its small size, a motorcycle can be easily hidden in a car's blind spots (door/roof pillars) or masked by objects or backgrounds outside a car (bushes, fences, bridges, etc). Take an extra moment to look for motorcycles, whether you're changing lanes or turning at intersections.
3) Motorcycle Safety Fact: Because of its small size, a motorcycle may look farther away than it is. It may also be difficult to judge a motorcycle's speed. When checking traffic to turn at an intersection or into (or out of) a driveway, assume a motorcycle is closer than it looks.
4) Motorcycle Safety Fact: Motorcyclists often slow by downshifting or merely rolling off the throttle, thus not activating the brake light. Allow more following distance, say 3 or 4 seconds. At intersections, predict a motorcyclist may slow down without visual warning.
5) Motorcycle Safety Fact: Motorcyclists often adjust position within a lane to be seen more easily and to minimize the effects of road debris, passing vehicles, and wind. Understand that motorcyclists adjust lane position for a purpose, not to be reckless or show off or to allow you to share the lane with them.
6) Motorcycle Safety Fact: Turn signals on a motorcycle usually are not self-canceling, thus some riders (especially beginners) sometimes forget to turn them off after a turn or lane change. Make sure a motorcycle's signal is for real. 7) Motorcycle Safety Fact: Maneuverability is one of a motorcycle's better characteristics, especially at slower speeds and with good road conditions, but don't expect a motorcyclist to always be able to dodge out of the way.
8) Motorcycle Safety Fact: Stopping distance for motorcycles is nearly the same as for cars, but slippery pavement makes stopping quickly difficult. Allow more following distance behind a motorcycle because it can't always stop "on a dime."
9) Motorcycle Safety Fact: When a motorcycle is in motion, see more than the motorcycle - see the person under the helmet, who could be your friend, neighbor, or relative.
10) Motorcycle Safety Fact: If a driver crashes into a motorcyclist, bicyclist, or pedestrian and causes serious injury, the driver would likely never forgive himself/herself.
These facts were reprinted from a great motorcycle website named Ultimate Motorcycling.
Utah Bike Law is a law firm and its lawyers represent motorcycle riders and their families across Utah including the counties and cities of Beaver, Box Elder, Cache, Carbon, Daggett, Davis, Duchesne, Emery, Garfield, Grand, Iron, Juab, Kane, Millard, Morgan, Piute, Rich, Salt Lake, San Juan, Sanpete, Sevier, Summit, Tooele, Uintah, Utah, Wasatch, Washington, Wayne, Weber, American Fork, Beaver, Bountiful, Brigham City, Cedar City, Delta, Draper, Duchesne, Fillmore, Heber, Kamas, Kanab, Kaysville, Layton, Lehi, Logan, Moab, Murray, Nephi, Ogden, Orem, Park City, Price, Provo, Richfield, Riverton, Roy, Salt Lake City, Sandy, South Jordan, St. George, Tooele, Vernal, West Jordan, and West Valley City.
Motorcycle Tips & Techniques is a great motorcycle safety website. The site contains videos and in-depth articles that detail the particular hazardds faced by motorcycle riders every day. Coincidence or not we had recently blogged about a motorcycle phenomenon called target fixation and so did Motorcycle Tips & Techniques where they perform what they call a "case study."Â
Their case study talks about a woman named Karen that crashes into the side of a pickup truck. After rounding a right hand turn Karen appeared to fixate of the oncoming truck and probably would have been killed had it not been for evasive manoeuvres by the truck. Karen "... suffered massive body trauma during the accident. Her left leg was peeled open (literally shredded) from hip to lower leg, compound fractures in several places both above and below the left knee, several ribs on th left side had been broken and punctured her left lung, her liver was 'fractured' as apparently was her spleen, and her diaphragm had been pierced."
This is an excellent blow-by-blow account of the effect of target fixation and Karen's injuries and recovery.
Utah Bike Law represent motorcycle riders and their families across Utah including the counties and cities of Beaver, Box Elder, Cache, Carbon, Daggett, Davis, Duchesne, Emery, Garfield, Grand, Iron, Juab, Kane, Millard, Morgan, Piute, Rich, Salt Lake, San Juan, Sanpete, Sevier, Summit, Tooele, Uintah, Utah, Wasatch, Washington, Wayne, Weber, American Fork, Beaver, Bountiful, Brigham City, Cedar City, Delta, Draper, Duchesne, Fillmore, Heber, Kamas, Kanab, Kaysville, Layton, Lehi, Logan, Moab, Murray, Nephi, Ogden, Orem, Park City, Price, Provo, Richfield, Riverton, Roy, Salt Lake City, Sandy, South Jordan, St. George, Tooele, Vernal, West Jordan, and West Valley City.
Utah Bike Law is a law firm dedicated to representing injured motorcycle riders and their families.If you or a loved one were involved in a motorcycle crash in Utah we invite you to call for a free confidential consultation.There is no obligation and you are not charged any fees whatsoever unless we recover money for you.
Target fixation occurs when you go where you look. It is a phenomenon that especially occurs when riding a two-wheeled vehicle but also happens when driving a vehicle. Sounds simple, and it is, but the implications can be enormous. It plays an important role when faced with an immediate threat or danger. Imagine you are riding your motorcycle along a road approaching an intersection. A car comes to a stop at the stop sign and you have no stop sign and continue through the intersection. All of a sudden the stopped car accelerates and enters the intersection directly into your path. Quick - what do you do?
If you are honest with yourself and break-down the sequence in which you reacted the first thing you must have done was look at the car. If it were otherwise you would not have seen the car start to enter the intersection. Keep in mind that this is a sudden and unexpected event. Next thing you do is probably slam on your brakes while looking at the car. The target fixation phenomenon kicks in and the motorcycle tends to move toward the car. Even the driver of the vehicle may look up and see you too late and the target fixation phenomenon also forces the driver of the car to turn in your direction - why - because he is looking at you - target fixation.
There are a lot of videos on YouTube that demonstrate the phenomenon but I think this is one of the best. A wobble on the rear end, maybe a little water on the road, and he appears to panic. I think target fixation occurs as he is looking at the fast-approaching brick wall. There is essentially nothing he can do at this point. Sure, he might have been disciplined enough to accelerate and bear left but it was probably too little too late. Now imagine if that brick wall were a car suddenly entering your "right of way" intersection.
I wrote last week about a recent study in Texas showing that since their mandatory helmet law was repealed that motorcycle deaths had dramatically increased calling for a return of mandatory helmets. I have also written extensively on this topic and invite you to explore all of my other posts on motorcycle helmets on this blog - search "helmets." Wyoming, like Utah, currently requires motorcycle riders less than 18 years of age to wear helmets. The Wyoming Trib.com makes a case for return of mandatory helmet law in Wyoming.
The article is written by the Star-Tribune Editorial Board. The article is well-written and references statistics that appear to support a claim that if all motorcycle riders wore helmets that motorcycle deaths would dramatically decrease. Although making passing remarks that vehicle education emphasizing that drivers need to be made more aware of motorcycles the author terminates the article by stating "... the single biggest action our legislators could take to improve motorcycle safety is to reinstate Wyoming's universal helmet law, beginning next year." The article also diminishes the concerns of motorcycle riders by stating "We'd rather see the vast majority of motorcyclists safer, even if they have to sacrifice some comfort."
The motorcycle riders that I talk to, and I talk to a lot, say they prefer not to wear helmets simply becasue they do not want to. I think a lot of motorcycle riders prefer not to wear helmets simply becasue it is not who they are. What I mean by this is the psychological and socialogical implications that attach to motorcycle riders in America - especially in Western America.
The west was won with a raw can-do attitude based on freedom, control of your own destiny, and doing what one wants without governmental interference. Motorcycles have a long history of being associated with freedom and toughness. If you have any doubt of this watch Easy Rider. The simple extension of this logic of course is that one can not be free and tough if wearing a helmet.
The knee-jerk reaction might be that not wearing a helmet is just dumb. Dumb because you can be seriously injures or killed. Furthermore, there are arguments about who pays the cost of caring for injured motorcycle riders. Extended rehabilitation for brain injury is expensive and if the rider does not have enough insurance the cost often falls to the public. All valid arguments and all dealt with before in other articles on this blog.
What concerns me about articles like this one in the Star-Tribune is that it cultivates an attitude in the minds of readers that biases them against motorcycle riders. Until the law is changed anyone over 18 years of age and injured in a motorcycle crash not wearing a helmet is following the law. Plain and simple! Do we as a society want to blame the motorcycle rider for his injuries because he or she was following the law? This is not a rhetorical question. I see bias all the time when I represent motorcycle riders who are injured as a result of other people's negligence. We go to trial and those biases raise their ugly heads. Those biases include:
If riding a motorcycle you assume the risk.
If riding a motorcycle you must have been speeding.
If you did wear a helmet that is your own tough luck.
If riding a motorcycle you were probably drinking or doing drugs.
If you are riding a motorcycle you must be a low-life.
You might think these biases do not exist but let me tell you they do - I see them all the time. News publications need to be careful in how they go about trying to influence public opinion to encourage the electorate to pressure their legislators to change the law.
Utah Bike Law represent motorcycle riders and their families across Utah including the counties and cities of Beaver, Box Elder, Cache, Carbon, Daggett, Davis, Duchesne, Emery, Garfield, Grand, Iron, Juab, Kane, Millard, Morgan, Piute, Rich, Salt Lake, San Juan, Sanpete, Sevier, Summit, Tooele, Uintah, Utah, Wasatch, Washington, Wayne, Weber, American Fork, Beaver, Bountiful, Brigham City, Cedar City, Delta, Draper, Duchesne, Fillmore, Heber, Kamas, Kanab, Kaysville, Layton, Lehi, Logan, Moab, Murray, Nephi, Ogden, Orem, Park City, Price, Provo, Richfield, Riverton, Roy, Salt Lake City, Sandy, South Jordan, St. George, Tooele, Vernal, West Jordan, and West Valley City.
The number of registered motorcycles in Utah is growing and since year 2000 have almost quadrupled to 80,000. The last time there were this any where as many bikes on Utah roads is back in 1984 when there was about 68,000. I do not know about you but I sure see a lot more bikes out on the road.
So why are there so many motorcycles? I think there are various reasons. First of all gas is expensive. The last surge in motorcycle registrations was when gas prices spiked sharply back in the 1980's. People that commute are opting to use motorcycles and scooters to save on gas. Second is that people are much more concerned about the environment. Motorcycles use less gas and therefore emit less noxious chemicals into the air we breath. The third reason there are more bikes is babyboomers. They are discovering that motorcycling is a great way to recapture their youth, have some fun and meet great people. The Utah Department of Public Safety states that motorcycle riders now account for one out of every nine U.S. road fatalities each year, with motorcyclist deaths from traffic crashes rising each of the last nine years. Utah has shown an upward trend in the motorcycle serious injury and fatality rate, mirroring the national numbers.
One would think that with the sharp rise in motorcycle registrations that deaths from motorcycle crashes would also be growing at a like rate. That is simply not the case. Yes, motorcycle deaths are increasing with the number of registered motorcycles on the road but they are increasing at a slower rate.
As a matter of fact the number of motorcycle deaths per number of registered motorcycles is actually dropping. Why is that - what are we doing that is successful in reducing the number of motorcycle deaths? One of the primary ways that we are successful at decreasing motorcycle deaths in Utah is becasue of the outstanding job done by the Utah Highway Safety Office. They are speaking to the people that ride bikes in innovative ways and taking advantage of technology to spread the message of safety. For example you can follow the Utah Highway Safety Office on line at facebook.
We can make a difference is we all just slow down and watch out for each other. That goes for motorcycle riders and drivers of vehicles as well. Become educated, take a motorcycle safety class and ride aware. Most of all be safe and have fun out there - after all isn't that what riding is all about?
Utah Bike Law is a law firm dedicated to representing injured motorcycle riders and their families.If you or a loved one were involved in a motorcycle crash in Utah we invite you to call for a free confidential consultation.There is no obligation and you are not charged any fees whatsoever unless we recover money for you.
We represent motorcycle riders and their families across Utah including the counties and cities of Beaver, Box Elder, Cache, Carbon, Daggett, Davis, Duchesne, Emery, Garfield, Grand, Iron, Juab, Kane, Millard, Morgan, Piute, Rich, Salt Lake, San Juan, Sanpete, Sevier, Summit, Tooele, Uintah, Utah, Wasatch, Washington, Wayne, Weber, American Fork, Beaver, Bountiful, Brigham City, Cedar City, Delta, Draper, Duchesne, Fillmore, Heber, Kamas, Kanab, Kaysville, Layton, Lehi, Logan, Moab, Murray, Nephi, Ogden, Orem, Park City, Price, Provo, Richfield, Riverton, Roy, Salt Lake City, Sandy, South Jordan, St. George, Tooele, Vernal, West Jordan, and West Valley City.
