Motorcyles are dumb. And deadly.
Death and injury rates for motorcycles are extraordinarily high. (CDC)
Over the weekend, WKTV reported that 47 year old Kirsty Sutherland from Old Forge died at Upstate Medical Center in Syracuse.
Sutherland was riding her motorcycle late last week on Rt. 28 “when she struck a log and was thrown from the machine.”
“Sutherland was the owner of Ozzie’s Café in Old Forge,” according to the report. “Investigators believe she was headed in to work at the time of the crash.”
We’ve debate and wrangled over motorized recreation a bunch here on the In Box, but I want to say more bluntly what I’ve only nudged at in the past: Motorcycles are dumb. And deadly.
I know this is pointless. If you’ve caught the biker bug, the facts I’m about to lay out will sound like Swahili. But let me take a crack at it anyway.
Last year, roughly 4,500 people died on motorcycles across the US. That means 12% of all road deaths in the country involve men and women on bikes, even though motorcycles make up only about 2% of the vehicles on the road.
Let me say it another way. According to the latest available statistics, bikers are “35 times more likely than passenger car occupants to die in a crash in 2006, per vehicle mile traveled, and 8 times more likely to be injured.”
This from the Centers for Disease Control;
In 2008, motor vehicle crash-related deaths involving cars and light trucks reached an all-time low in the United States.
At the same time, however, motorcyclist deaths reached an all-time high, more than doubling between 1999 and 2008.
The reasons are pretty simple. On a bike, you have no protection. None, zero. Hit an obstacle in your car, and you’re literally cocooned in protective devices, safety glass, and padded steel.
Tumble from a motorbike and it’s just you and raw physics. And in the real world — not the fantasy land of Easy Rider or Sons of Anarchy — physics always wins.
It’s also a fact that the skill and physical conditioning required to manage a heavy, modern bike is far greater than most people grasp until it’s too late.
I suspect that the vast, overwhelming majority of the motorcycle craze is the product of good old fashioned marketing. The motorcycle industry convinces middle-aged Boomers and young men that there’s romance out there on the open road. Even the danger is sort of sexy.
It’s a sickening con. It’s a racket.
So here’s my (quixotic, hopeless) suggestion. Before you get on your bike next time — or before you plunk down thousands of dollars for a new machine — throw an egg or a tomato as hard as you can against the floor.
Unless you’re a minor league pitcher, the velocity of that impact is actually less than the speed you’ll be hitting on the highway. Think about that. Put yourself in the place of that egg. Imagine those split-seconds, the massive torque of motorcycle, the concrete flying at you.
Better yet, go to Google images and search for “motorcycle accidents.” Look closely at those photographs. Be honest with yourself about what you’re doing.
If those results look romantic to you, if you still think it’s a good idea to get out there and tango with the tractor trailers and the road debris and the deer and the rain slick highways, then I say go for it.
Knock yourself out Literally.
And the responsibility that car drivers have to make sure they pay proper respect to other vehicles on the road?
Any article on safety needs to acknowledge that car drivers are often so coocooned in their safe boxes that they make conditions more hazardous to others, like motorcycles and bikes.
When you dump a bike, it most likely will cause injury. I am always amazed when I see a motorcylist who doesn’t make a minimal attempt at wearing protective equipment. In the summer, I regularly see them in shorts, t-shirts and flip-flops. It’s probably makes no sense to bring up the issue of the short helmets because the response will be that they are legal.
Good article Brian. I work in a motor vehicle related field and based on most peoples driving skills(in cars and trucks), you couldn’t pay me enough to become a motorcycle rider, at least on public highways. Especially with the added attraction of people talking on cell phones and texting while driving. Guess I like my limbs and body parts to much for other activities to take that risk. My view is that motorcyle riding on public highways is kind of like rock climbing: fun, exciting, challenging but the risk of injury with one small mistake is just to unforgiving, moreso when it might be someone elses small mistake that you pay for.
I’ve owned 3 bikes (one at a time) and rode for years until the total lack of consideration of other drivers convinced me it was time to quit. I mostly rode only in good weather on back roads with low traffic. The exception was one summer the car was needed to transport our son to summer school so I biked to work all summer. Biking was fun when the weather was nice and there wasn’t much traffic but I did wipe out on a sharp curve once at about 30 mph. That was the beginning of the end. I couldn’t get on the bike after that without an acute awareness of my vulnerability. I rode (cautiously) a few more years and then sold my last bike. It’s a bit like quitting smoking though. I still slow down and look at bikes parked by the road with FOR SALE signs as I drive by. Lately I’m ogling dune buggies.
As a bicyclist, I couldn’t agree more with Verplanck.
It’s easy to sit in judgment of a demographic too easily stereotyped as burly bearded, tattooed freaks. But what about me? I’m a liberal, greenie, untattooed, clean shaven type and am seriously considering getting a motorcycle or scooter. I’m not doing so for any ‘cool’ factor or out of novelty or because I’m ‘stupid.’
Yes, it’s statistically more dangerous, but is it so completely unreasonable that a rational person might consider an option that’s much cheaper and much better for the environment than the more common motor vehicle? Especially when it seems like normal-sized cars are becoming extinct and the new normal car is almost the size of a mini-van. And double especially when gas is $4.20 a gallon and rising.
I’ve never owned a car/truck/mini-van/SUV and really don’t want to. But I’d like the occasional option of something that averages more than 12 mph my bicycle gets so I can hike in the Adirondacks more often. So smart guy Brian Mann, what do you suggest?
Brian, who is saying anything about “burly bearded, tattooed freaks?”
I too have ridden motorcycles, and my experience parallels Bullard’s. You may chose to ignore the risks, but don’t kid yourself that you’re doing it for the fuel economy– a Honda Fit hybrid will get you 132 mpg in the city and 105 mpg on the highway. (Top 10 Best Gas Mileage Coupes)
The figures don’t lie, but they also don’t account for variations in riders. What are the fatality/crash figures for riders who are well-trained, careful and riding bikes in good repair? I’m sure they’re still worse than for cars, but I’m also sure they’re better than the overall rates. It is dumb, statistically, to ride a motorcycle and I will do everything I can to keep my kids off them, including selling my own motorcycle, which I did when they were toddlers. But it is a qualitatively different, and better, experience than riding in a car. It’s not a choice between equal experiences, one of which is much safer. It’s more like a choice between walking somewhere, and flying there (if we could fly). And if the flying were a lot more dangerous, you still might choose it.
Brian –
If it were just burly bearded dudes, I’d be less concerned. Those guys get creamed just as often, but they’re clearly knowledgeable, experienced, fully committed. The people I’m describing as “dumb” for flirting with this nonsense are, in fact, people just like you.
In this exchange, you clearly want to feel like you’re marking some cool, smash-up-the-stereotype-put-the-know-it-all-guy in his place turf. And that’s the kind of Jimmy Dean hokum that gets wrapped up in this hobby.
So let me just repeat the only fact that matters: If you buy one of these machines you will be more than thirty times more likely to die driving to your hiking trail than if you bought a Mini Cooper. And for someone who doesn’t know how to ride very well, you’re probably at greater risk.
Do I think you’re being dumb if you do that to save a couple of bucks on gas. Yes. And if my snobbery convinces you to think twice, I’ll gladly wear the mantle of motorcycle prude.
–Brian, NCPR
Will – I sold my bike when my son was born, too. I rode a really small bike, just big enough to commute to work. I had two terrifying accidents, one because I misjudged a turn, the other because three deer bolted into the road out of nowhere. In both cases, it was a miracle I emerged unscathed…
-Brian, NCPR
In Ohio, where helmets are not required by law, we call those riders “organ donors”. Sometimes when I’m in a cranky mood, or my neighbors Harley is rattling the windows, I think all dangerous activities should be encouraged…Go ahead, Kill yourself!..but do it neatly and quickly and don’t overburden the medical system with half-hearted attempts.
Ever since I met a motorcycle on a back road, looked in my rear view mirror, and saw him go down (because he took the curve too wide and got in the gravel), and watched his body go skidding several feet across the pavement, I HATE them. He survived, but was in the hospital for several days.
It’s not worth it.
Brian didn’t I see some blog about motorcycle noise one time from you? You really do hate them.
With texting drivers these days riding my bike (no motor) seems to be more dangerous than it used to be. But it it is too much fun to quit. It is also how I keep in shape for ski season, which is probably also dangerous, but again fun.
Brian Mann: that’s all wonderful but you didn’t answer my question. I don’t want the massive expense of a car (especially since I wouldn’t use a motor vehicle all that often) but I want something that gets more than 12 mph in speed yet obviously don’t want to die or get seriously injured. What do you suggest?
Being a prude might make you feel self-satisfied but only if you present alternatives will prudishness actually persuade anyone.
Brian –
First, yes, I do feel incredibly self-satisfied.
Trying to convince people not to ride incredibly unsafe forms of transportation, while knowing that I will be ignored or (even worse) dragged into debates over side issues always brings me right into that sweet spot.
Setting aside my buzz (and my snippiness) I’ll try to speak to your concern:
There are times and places in the world where a motorcycle really is the only affordable and appropriate form of transportation. It’s sort of like the people who really NEED ATVs to work on their farms. I say go for it.
If those were the only people who bought motorcycles, I think the 4,500 deaths each year would be cut dramatically. We would also see more reasonable machines, not the overpowered behemoths being wrangled down the highway by 60-somethings with zero upper body strength.
But if you do buy a bike, you should go for it in full knowledge that virtue is no protection against physics. The fact that you’ve chosen an unsafe form of transportation for relatively good reasons won’t protect you one bit from the whole tomato-egg reality.
–Brian, NCPR
Here’s an alternative:
Get a kit car, preferably a roadster. Instead of a gas engine, put in an electric one.
Top down cruising, super MPG – with bumpers and roll cage.
You can even use it for more of the year than a motorcycle.
Happy trails.
I ride a bicycle on a couple of roads that aren’t particularly safe for such vehicles but are unfortunately the only path for getting from point A (home) to point B (my job) and vice versa. So I’m definitely already aware of and feel vulnerable to both physics and unsafe, clueless, self-absorbed drivers.
A motorcycle definitely has disadvantages. The laws of physics are exacerbated at 40 mph as compared to 15. But the flip side is that a motorcycle has more room to work with. I wouldn’t be stuck in a 10 inch wide “shoulder,” quite common in stupid suburbia Queensbury, as an 18 wheeler passes me at 50 mph praying to whatever deity might be in the sky…
Unfortunately, there really isn’t a good, safe option given our insane infrastructure priorities.
WJ: What do those run? Where can you find them?
Prices vary – widely. Try the usual culprits: eBay, Craigslist, etc.
Hemmings.com is also a good spot to find kit cars in mid-assembly, and therefore very cheap.
My dad has an adage that may be useful in the wider conversation about “donor-cycles:”
“There’s an ass for every seat.”
Like so many of my father’s chestnuts, it’s irrefutable.
Another fact: Everyone dies.
Society is way too concerned with prolonging existence these days, and being sure that existence is as blah and uneventful as possible.
It’s the rallying cry of the “no fun” crowd that insists every concert be “family friendly” and non-offensive.
Risks do have a “fun factor.” I think sky diving is pretty dumb, but many people love it.
Every time I jump on my bike, I’m very aware of the risks. I’ve seen the results first hand. Guard rails are nothing more than cheese graters at highway speeds.
Some people embrace the culture not because of marketing, but because it rejects the “normalness” of the modern American life, that stays as far away from dissent and discord as humanly possible.
For others, bikes offer a rider the ability to experience motorized performance otherwise only available to the super-car driving ultra wealthy. I can feel Ferrari-like performance on my cruiser, shattering economic barriers that divide motorheads based solely on income and access.
Ultimately, the sun is expected begin to die in the future and consume the solar system. At which point, none of this will matter.
Enjoy the experience. That’s all we really have when it’s all said and done.
I just wish the cops would ticket everyone who has straight pipes on their bikes. But that would mean ticketing a lot of other cops.
Noooo! Not you too, Jon Alexander. We can’t afford to let good journalists live in harm’s way.
I want to personally invite you back into the boring, normal minivan driving fold of middle aged journalists.
Come on in, the water’s luke warm. :)
By the way, I’m now working on a blog post worrying about the death of the sun. Stay tuned.
–Brian, NCPR
Its not a form of transportation, its a hobby. I think a lot of people find it really fun.
But there is no doubt the stats are on your side on this one.
Mervel: for many it’s a hobby. For some, it’s also transportation.
“Do I think you’re being dumb if you do that to save a couple of bucks on gas. Yes. And if my snobbery convinces you to think twice, I’ll gladly wear the mantle of motorcycle prude.”
A side of this issue that has gone discussed: what about people who commute to work and cannot afford a car. For such people, a motorcycle may be the best (and, really, only) option. your economic situation may make you unaware that such people exists, but given the large number of tourist based low wage jobs in the north country, it is more common than you think. Used cars may seem affordable, but that affordability ceases as soon as the user has to get the car inspected and is often presented with a multi-thousand dollar bill of repairs necessary for the car to pass inspection.
Brian MOFYC: If your looking for faster, relatively cheap transportation I’d look for a used 10-12 yr old Honda Civc or Toyota Corolla. Probably less expensive to buy than a new Motorcycle, still gets very good gas mileage, quite dependable even at 10 yrs old, you can drive it yr round, not to expensive to insure, and if you get in any kind of accident you have the benefit of No Fault Insurance paying your medical bill and wage loss which you can never get on a Motorcycle. Just some thoughts.
No doubt some are for transportation I don’t deny that.
I would say maybe 10%, the rest are a choice and people do it because it is fun. Just like hang gliding or snow boarding or ATV riding or snowmobiling etc. Now if you are not having a really really good time on your bike and don’t have to ride one for cost reasons, then I would say you are crazy.
But everyone of us makes risk-reward tradeoffs in life all of the time.
What is the point of this? Sure bikes, including the kind you peddle, are more dangerous than cars. Like this is something no one ever knew? We need to be told this?
Next thing you know, someone will be telling us that playing football is more dangerous that playing chess. Who would have thunk it.
I got news for you. No matter what you do or don’t do, you will die.
Don’t like that. Blame your parents. They brought you into the world and set you up to die.
Brian,
HA! I’m one of those darn motorcyclists… My zl900 is even pretty loud, which I know you love!
I do appreciate your concern my friend. I’m looking forward to that blog post!
Note that the one person on here who said he currently rides a motorcycle (Jon) is in his 20s. The two who have forsworn them — me and Brian M. — are over 50 (me) and at least over 35 (Brian). Not sure where everyone else stands in terms of current ridership. But I think riding motorcycles is appropriately an activity for the young. Like climbing cliffs, it requires the unrealistic assessment of risk and the physical abilities often found in people under 30. Geezers should stay off motorcycles.
Pete, Are you sure that Football is more dangerous than chess? I think we need a federally funded study to get the answer there.
I’m 65, Will, and I rode a motorcycle in my twenties and again in my thirties. Gave it up the first time because I couldn’t afford to keep a car and a bike on the road. Gave it up the second time after I realized that I was mortal– I was turning left when someone passing me from behind just tapped me in going by. Knocked me down in the middle of an intersection; it just happened that no one was coming the other way. Banged up my knee and the bike, but no major damage except to my comfort level being on the bike.
Hmm, I hadn’t thought of that in years… I wonder if that’s why my right knee bothers me sometimes. Could have been a whole lot worse.
Who would have thought that so many bikers were Republicans?
Actually Larry I think the Tea Party is heavily represented among Harley riders. An awful lot of bikers are into exercising their freedom to make excessive amounts of noise, and to hell with my freedom to peace and quiet. Seems a very Tea Party approach to life to me.
This is gonna blow Brian’s brain but I just read that Obama is an avid motorcyclist.
Jim says:
September 18, 2012 at 2:55 pm
“Brian MOFYC: If your looking for faster, relatively cheap transportation I’d look for a used 10-12 yr old Honda Civc or Toyota Corolla. Probably less expensive to buy than a new Motorcycle, still gets very good gas mileage, quite dependable even at 10 yrs old, you can drive it yr round, not to expensive to insure, and if you get in any kind of accident you have the benefit of No Fault Insurance paying your medical bill and wage loss which you can never get on a Motorcycle. Just some thoughts.”
One thing that needs to emphasized is that a 10-12 year old car must pass the OBDII emissions inspections but a motorcycle does not. The cost of getting an older car to pass that inspection can run in the thousands of dollars, thereby negating any perceived cost advantage. Older cars quite often fail OBDII inspections, which is a hugely under-reported problem for many working class individuals who need transportation to get back and forth to work.
The risks may be understated and I think that is an issue and needs to be addressed; but this is a risky world and a risky country its what liberty is all about.
My son the young doctor says that motorcycles are referred to as “donor cycles” in the medical profession. It seems Motor cyclists frequently collide with semis. They go under and get decapitated leaving all the other organs intact.
Oh big deal wakeup the guy smokes, we know he is a risk taker!
Sorry I missed this discussion. Especially since I have the answer.
Answer: Very strict enforcement of noises restrictions on bikes (and cars, and trucks), which public would support. Every state trooper cruiser gets noise measurment devices, like radar, and violators pay big fines (NYS says “Yum,,, Yum!)!
Motorcycle riding, and resulting accidents, decline by 95%., also highway noise (which, sadly, I guess, bothers me even more).
Solving both noise and highway mayhem problems.
You’re welcome
Yeah, Newt, I have to agree that there’d be a whole lot fewer motorcycles on the road if existing laws against straight pipes and excessive noise were enforced. The whole “Loud Pipes Save Lives” campaign is such a crock! If riders were really interested in saving lives, they wouldn’t be wearing shorty helmets, or going without helmets in states that allow it.
I’d love to see the biker community’s response if you called their bluff by proposing a law which required strict limits on engine noise, but mandated a forward-projecting warning tone going beep-beep-beep. Something tells me that they wouldn’t get behind such a safety measure.
I stand with all of my brave InBoxers who downrate comments supporting better fuel economy!
“One thing that needs to emphasized is that a 10-12 year old car must pass the OBDII emissions inspections…”
Vehicles more than 26 years old, and diesels built before 1997 are exempt from the OBD II inspection requirement.
That’s not a huge window, but it’s something.
Still, I’d be surprised if your average 12-15 year old Honda Civic wouldn’t pass OBD II without major surgery, and they sell for $2-3000. Granted, they’ll generally have 100,000+ miles on them, but they’re good for 200,000. I drive a 1997, and it still gets 30+ mpg. I’ve never had any problems with inspection.
One thing about bikes, noise and speed. The fastest bikes are the quietest bikes. No Harley can do 180 or more.
But when it comes to noise, nothing really beats a tandem truck. Even worse, while you can see around bikes, trucks, motor homes and buses are like fat billboards going slowly up hill and fast down hill.
I say, more bikes and fewer gas guzzling trucks, motor homes and buses.
Actually when it comes to noise, nothing beats garbage trucks and DPW vehicles.
When in reverse, the beeping can be heard for blocks away. There’s no “safety” reason that people a quarter mile away need be aware that such vehicles are put into reverse. I think within 50-100 feet is sufficient.
And even in forward, they’re still ridiculously loud.
Will: age does affect one’s perception of and willingness to take risk. But so does having a partner and/or a family.
If people would get properly trained, ride safely and wear appropriate safety gear, I’m convinced the stats would go down.
Also, fuel economy is not the only reason motorcycles are more affordable. I’ve never had to drop thousands of dollars fixing problems on my bike like I have with my car. As someone who drives plenty for work, I use my bike for transportation just as much as I do for fun.
Also, it’s not just for young people. My dad, who is in his 60s, rides plenty and he’s perfectly safe. He just got back from a 2,000-mile bike trip through Canada, and he had a great time.
Awesome!
Brian, I’ve been thinking about this thread for a couple of days and I guess I think you stepped in it. The Republicans think that we don’t need a “Nanny State” and I guess I don’t think we need a “nanny journalist” either…
I agree about the dangers of motorcycles, and don’t ride one, but the only reason I could come up with for telling anyone else about it would be the involvement of my tax dollars in someone else’s recovery.
Then there’s the noise thing…I honestly believe that loud pipes kill brain cells. Seems that way anyhow.
After 40+ years of riding, I think I can add a different perspective. All of the drivers on four wheels are out to kill me and I ride with this thought foremost. I maintain a buffer between myself and other vehicles. I ride with All the Gear, All the Time, ATGATT. I continually try to perfect my riding skills, and I try to enjoy every second in the saddle. All of the riders out there compose two groups, ones who have gone down, and the ones who will go down. It’s sort of like bicyclists, a matter of balance, skill, experience, and enjoying the ride!
Training should be mandatory. You can’t learn the skills from the dealer where you’re buying the bike. You can’t learn it from uncle Joe who used to ride a 1956 whatever. The Motorcycle Safety Foundation has courses available to teach the basics but, experienced rider courses, and continous training will reduce the risk.
Ride safe!!