AutoBlog

03 September 2008, 12:17

The News-Gazette.com: Police attribute increase in motorcycle accidents to rise in riders

Cost Emery said that with good weather and high gauze prices, there are probably besides dudes out riding motorcycles. The deaths will accretion with more bikes absent there," Emery said. Motorcycle fatalities directly account for 13 percent of total traffic deaths in the U.S., National Highway Transportation Safety Administration.


Motorcyclist deaths increased 6.6 percent in 2007, while total engine vehicle fatalities dropped 3.9 percent from the preceding year, according to a announcement issued in mid-August. Ray Tyson, spokesman for the federal highway safety agency, said the increases in motorcycle registrations and motorycle deaths have been going on for 10 years.


A recent state police study of motorcycle crashes in Regional 10 in East Central Illinois, between 2003 and 2007, showed an customary of seven motorcycle fatalities per year. The influential causes in those fatal crashes were alcohol, precipitation and exactly of way. Helmets were not used in 59 percent of the crashes, according to Master Sgt.


Rory Steidl, who analysed the data. To deposit the recent crashes in perspective, there were eight commonality killed in motorcycle crashes for all of 2007, he said. Champaign County Coroner Duane Northrup said there has been an burgeoning in limited motorcycle fatalities, however the causes vary.


Northrup said that, based on preliminary investigations, the crashes are not always the fallacy of an automobile chauffeur not paying consideration to a motorcycle. In seven original motorcycle crash deaths in Champaign County, the fault appears to be with the motorcycle driver in some cases, nevertheless with a driver of another vehicle in others, he said. Of those seven fatalities, four were stressful helmets and three were not.


Coles County Coroner Michael Nichols said there was an different double motorcycle crash near Mattoon that is still under investigation. We had one motorcycle run into the back of another motorcycle," he said. Nichols, who has been coroner for 14 age and was deputy coroner for another 14 years, said this is the first motorcycle crash of its beneficent he has seen in Coles County.


Nichols said the public increase in motorcycles may be due to more people driving them. Steve Mechling, a motorcycle police officer at the University of Illinois, had a crash in 2003 where he went over the handlebars, landed on his head and bounced back to his feet. I could have been a goner had I not been wearing a helmet," Mechling said. Mechling said gloves, ponderous jeans, a heavy cardigan and over-the-ankle boots are also important.


Motorcycle riders are obviously exposed to more dangers than automobile drivers, he said. For example, a vehivle driver can just turn on his windshield wipers provided it starts to rain, but a motorcycle rider has impaired visibility and more distraction. I have been riding down the course and accept a bug hit me," he said. I don't lose control, on the contrary it makes you flinch."


Another factor is that 30 states, including Illinois, do not hope for motorcyclists to wear helmets, Tyson said. Lack of experience and familiarity driving motorcycles also are factors, Tyson said. But that's not on account of augmented young drivers are riding motorcycles.


Studies display that the biggest increases in motorcycle registrations are among baby boomers, he said. Those insert community who rode motorcycles previously and are any more coming back to it, along with those who have always had an worry but are good now getting involved, he said.


Marisa Kollias, spokeswoman for the Illinois Branch of Transportation, said the number of motorcycle registrations has increased statewide from 560,000 in 2002 to 580,000 in 2006. Last year, motorcycle fatalities accounted for 12 percent of traffic deaths in Illinois, she said.


John Sudlow, motorcycle rider safety program coordinator at the University of Illinois, said that while the increased motorcycle registrations keep on a trend, higher petrol prices may result in former weekend or recreation motorcycle riders now using them for daily driving.


Sudlow said there has been no comprehensive glance at of causes of motorcycle deaths for 20 years, but among the causes of motorcycle deaths are lack of proper safety gear for motorcycle riders, rush and lack of keeping by automobile drivers. The programme talks approximately the demand for driving a motorcycle unimpaired and defensively, he said.


Instructors further charge the need for motorcycle riders to assemble their presence known to automobile drivers, he said. Personal responsibility of motorcycle riders for their own safety is a pivotal principle, Sudlow said. That includes wearing "all the gear, all the time," he said. Those responsibilities also include being unimpaired and not distracted. Sudlow said car drivers who keep had close calls driving their cars may not be good candidates for riding a motorcycle, he said.


Whether you retain motorcar driving problems, you don't keep the luxury of lasting calls on a motorcycle," he said. By the numbers Nationwide motorcycle accident facts: - Fatalities accounted for 13 percent of all vehicle crash deaths in 2007.



По материалам http://news-gazette.com/news/living/2008/08/31/police_attrib~



All posts of category "Motorcycles"

Page: [18] [19] [20] [21] [22] [23] [24] [25] [26] [27]
Fast: [10] [20]


  • MedicalNews
  • History of SE queries
  • history