A"I Can Save My Own LifeA" Thought of the Day II

by Motorcycle.com Staff

September 9th, 2005 6:00 AM

I don't know why WSO is sending out so many motorcycle related tidbits at the end of the riding season, but got another interesting one today...

“I can save my own life” thought of the day: Speeding motorcyclist

Crash statistics suggest that while excessive speed is a deadly factor for all vehicle operators to consider, it is far more deadly for motorcyclists than for all other motorists. In 2000 speed was the primary cause of almost one in four motorcycle rider fatalities compared to 9% overall. Motorcyclist are at greater risk because of their small size, visibility, susceptibility to wind gusts and drafts, debris on the roadway and the fact they lack a compartment to keep the operator in during a high speed crash.

Interesting Motorcycle Facts:

*In 2004 a Minnesota biker was ticketed for doing 205 MPH in a 65 MPH zone.

*In a survey of highway drivers, motorcyclists were found more likely to be speeding.

*45% of fatal motorcycle crashes recorded by the American Institute for Public Safety involved alcohol.

*In addition 62% of those killed in weekend night, single vehicle crashes, were intoxicated.

*Excess speed is considered to have been a contributing factor in over half (56%) of all fatal motorcycle crashes.

On this date in PACAF: A motorcycle operator (with a passenger) lost control in a curve ejecting both passenger and operator into a guardrail. Both spent over 50 days in the hospital and on quarters.

Did you know?

There are more than 600 million telephone lines today, yet almost half the world's population has never made a phone call.

//signed//

Wing Safety Office