The news from the feds is good, for a change. No, make that great as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration just reported a 6.4 percent decline in fatalities among motorcyclists during 2013. there were 4,668 motorcycle fatalities in 2013 vs. 4,986 in 2012 and 4,630 fatalities in 2011. The group of states without universal helmet laws reported 11 times as many unhelmeted motorcyclist fatalities than states with such laws: 1,704 vs. 150, respectively, the agency noted. As anyone who reads CRM knows, we’re true believers in the effectiveness of motorcycle helmets, having had our collective hides saved more times than our emergency room docs can count by the incredible bean covers.
Motorcycle-related deaths accounted for 14.3 percent of all traffic deaths in 2013, down from 14.8 percent in 2012. But it’s still higher than it was back in 2003, when motorcycle deaths accounted for 9 percent of all traffic fatalities.
In addition to fewer of us getting croaked while enjoying our fave sport/hobby/lifestyle, the number of riders getting seriously injured while two-wheeling has also dipped, down to 88,000 from a walloping 93,000 back in 2012. When it comes to attributing factors to this spate of positive news, things get a bit more cloudy. The anti-helmet crowd will claim the declining casualty numbers are proof that motorcycle helmets are useless, while others will cits the increased number of rider training programs around the country, the advent of anti-lock braking systems or even improvements to riding gear technology.
Whatever the case, NHTSA’s numbers are cause for both celebration and proof that we can do even better if we try. Better yet, it seems that alcohol-impaired motorcycle fatalities dropped as well. “Motorcycle riders showed the greatest decrease in the number of alcohol-impaired drivers involved in fatal crashes from 2012 to 2013, dropping 8.3 percent or by 117 riders. This was both the greatest percentage drop and the greatest drop in actual alcohol-impaired drivers,” NHTSA said.
Stay sober. Wear a helmet. Arrive alive. Makes perfect sense.
– Mike Seate