auto accident charts

[slant77]

auto accident charts

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Just seeing if any one has seen charts comparing the number serious accidents in a car verses accidents on a motorcycle. I'm talking about say there is 1000 auto drivers 100 will end up in a serious accident. Say out of one 1000 motorcycle drivers 200 will end up in a serious accident.

[Phishnoob]

Lot of factors here besides just considering the rate of accidents.

Motorcycles generally get driven way less per year so annual rates of comparison per driver are really not accurate.

The injury rate on motorcycles has to be higher than those in cars, so somehow the extent of the injuries and damage involved would have to be weighted in.

Helmets is a huge issue here and there have to be two complete sets of data. One saved my life hitting the ground at 70 mph so I am of course biased, but against legislation in case I need a new liver or something someday.

There have to be massive differences between the rice burners tearing it up downtown and splitting lanes in LA and the casual rider on his hog out on rural highways.

Were you just looking for a complete blanket crash rate per passenger mile? Hopefully we have a TRT insurance guy that can explain the actuarial tables and tell us. I am interested.

[Rick O]

Are you trying to convince your wife that motorcycles are safe? Unfortunately with all of the devices we have in our vehicles to distract us I think being on the road in anything is dangerous. I'm on the road all day long and at least once a day an oncoming vehicle crosses the centerline and comes into my lane. When you pass them you can see them looking at their cell phone.

I would check the NTSB website for official accident statistics.

[slant77]

Yes I'm aware that there are less motorcycles on the road way. I would expect there is a higher rate of injury's per motorcycles tho. Yes insurance industry would have such a chart. In high school I had a motorcycle for a year one or two close calls out of the two I can only blame one on the other driver for coming into my lane. The other a car pulled out but I was going way faster than the speed limit so I don't hold that against them. I would like to get one again well I have had these thoughts for many years and it just happens my girlfriend likes them to so thats not helping out.
I do worry about cars hitting me as I seem to get hit almost once a year in either my car are my work truck. My last accident I was stopped at a signal light for at least a minute in the middle of the day before some car slammed into the back of my truck at 45 mph. Yes it was not a nice site any way if people can miss pickup trucks and cars they surly can and do miss bikes. I drive alot and see more vehicle crashes but this week alone I have come across 2 different sites were they were cleaning up crash sites with motorcycles.

[OneDummHikk]

slant, I don't think you could ever get an accurate picture of the comparison, there isn't one really. They can come up with statistics and they usually come up with the statistics that support whatever position they have. A good stat on it would be to know what percentage of motorcycles on the road are in accidents versus cars. Cars are more dangerous because people think they are inherently safe in an accident and they pay less attention.

Of the motorcycles in accidents, how many were the riders fault? The only major motorcycle wreck I have ever been in (in a little over 24 years of riding) I got hit from behind by a guy that changed two lanes of traffic and smacked me. I slid over 100 feet on my head and got extremely lucky. I got up and walked away. Two minor scratches. The bad part about that accident was that the moron that hit me and had been out of the hospital for about a week from a motorcycle wreck and his first words to me were "I didn't see you". My response, toned down for TRT, was "If you don't get away from me, you will see your maker!".

Motorcycles themselves aren't any more inherently dangerous than cars are. What makes them more fatal are the morons in cars that "don't see you". There are billboards in Florida that have a picture of a motorcycle rider on it and the caption "I see you, do you see me?".

And even after 24 years of riding, you just about won't find me on 95 or 295 in Jacksonville. I avoid them at all costs. I can get from University to Blanding without ever getting on either one by going through downtown and thats the way I go. Not because of me but because of the people on the roads.

The only other "accident" I have had on a bike was I dropped on in a controlled slide at about 70 mph when the chain broke and locked the back tire up. I won't ever have another bike that isn't shaft driven for that very reason. The only reason I think I walked away from that one was a course I took on crash riding where they teach you what to do when something goes wrong on a bike. Controlled slides, how to react in an accident situation, mostly defensive driving skills.

And that is what you will find with most riders is that they tend to be safer in cars because they have to be defensive riders on a bike so they drive defensively in a car.

[OneDummHikk]

Sorry for the long rant but its something I feel strongly about.

[Mommy2Julianna]

I dont know if this will help but its kinda cool anyways.

We had over 15000 Bikers in the LaCrosse area last weekend and only had two motorcycle related accidents, sadly one guy (no helmet, alcohol in system) died. the other guy is fine though.

[chrischris]

car wrecks are going to be at least double of what motorcycles are going to have just because of useage, think about it how many teen talk on the cell phone while rideing a motorcycle. but they arent rare either and they mostly happen due to others drivers not paying attention

[tdwyatt]

Originally Posted by Phishnoob

Lot of factors here besides just considering the rate of accidents.

Helmets is a huge issue here and there have to be two complete sets of data. One saved my life hitting the ground at 70 mph so I am of course biased, but against legislation in case I need a new liver or something someday...

Used to work in a large metro ER, you know what we called motorcyclists that rode without helmets?







































organ donors.

[depitch]

Organ Donors!!

Where I trained we called motorcycles Donorcycles!!

I don't believe that the motorcycle is any more dangerous than a car. The danger comes from the operator of the vehicle.

You are more exposed to injury on a motorcycle, but many ride for decades without problems. Careless motorcycle riders can be as dangerous as impaired or distracted auto operators.

If the operator of either car or motorcycle is hit by an impaired or distracted driver at high speed the outcome will be bad.

[Nyles]

Being a rider for years now all I can say is as a rider you have to EXPECT the other driver to be careless and expect the unexpected. If you can ride with that mentality you will be ok but there are risks, just keep all eyes on the road and give yourself distance. There is a lot of stupid people out there.

[Doug1]

Originally Posted by OneDummHikk

slant
The only other "accident" I have had on a bike was I dropped on in a controlled slide at about 70 mph when the chain broke and locked the back tire up. I won't ever have another bike that isn't shaft driven for that very reason. The only reason I think I walked away from that one was a course I took on crash riding where they teach you what to do when something goes wrong on a bike. Controlled slides, how to react in an accident situation, mostly defensive driving skills.

And that is what you will find with most riders is that they tend to be safer in cars because they have to be defensive riders on a bike so they drive defensively in a car.

Shaft drive Bikes are no guarentee, I had several friend back inthe 70s that bought Moto Guzzis that had narrow escapes when the shaft drive failed, apparently they werent engineered as well as the Beemer bikes. I have been through a chain slinging lockup incident on my old Kaw H-1(highly modded) and I can tell you sliding sideways down a Cali freeway with a deisel trying to stop is not fun. Walked away from that one with a change of britches, dirt biking on the other hand is a sore subject with me
Bottom line is if you ride, ALWAYS be AWARE nd ride as if everyone in a steel cage is out to get you.
With fuel prices escalating motorcycles will gain a bigger share of the road, hopefully the gas costs will reduce the number of humongous SUV's on the road piloted by cell phone addicted soccer moms and yuppies( and for the record I love some SUVs and currently own a Dodge Ram 4x4), but bottom line is that if you ride you have to be really defensive, you have less protection that a transpo can car like my hyundai, which for all its airbags and 5 star safety rating will eat **** in a contest with a truck or a Tahoe

[Phishnoob]

I don't know much about a controlled slide. When I hit fresh oil where they moved the cones too early my bike went way over the crest of the next hill out of sight and all I did was bounce and bounce and roll forever and there was not a dang thing I could do about it.

Cars went all over trying not to hit me and I was skinned alive down to fingernails being pulled out, lost all my clothing, had my elbow ground off and was full of holes just like when they pull of the bandaid in Mad magazine.

This was after three years of riding, motorcycle safety twice, and the intro racing course at Willow Springs.

I think that was the big guy upstairs telling me to drive around in a nice safe Bimmer and still assume the other guy is out to get me. The good news is that I have never been in an accident since all that riding as you learn good defensive skills.

We lose someone it seems like every week or two here in the summer on a bike, with a good portion of them being young Army kids from Fort Carson. The young guys are usually goofing around, and the older riders just get hit by a car. Hardly anyone wears a helmet.

[Loverotties]

I knew a guy 47,Rode 35 yrs.He was coming home from work and it started to rain and the oil film on the road made him fall off and his head went into the curb and cracked his helmet and brain in half.He left behind two kids and a wife.

[VWD]

I love bikes and always have, but to put all the blame on cars is way off. too many bike rider ride like idiots, too fast for conditions, in and out of traffic, between cars, I see it everyday, They think because of the smaller size they can do it. I would venture to guess that a big percentage of MC accident are the bikes riders fault. I know that the case in everyone I had.