Posted on 07/15/2007 7:30:18 AM PDT by BraveMan
It's been a year since Jeffrey and Christine Konrath of Slinger died in a motorcycle crash in Dodge County.
Except for the fact that they weren't drinking, the Konraths could be the face of motorcycle fatalities today: older riders - he was 45, she was 48 - on a larger bike, killed on a rural road. And neither was wearing a helmet.
It's that last point that most frustrates Christine's daughter Angeline Schreiber. She has little tolerance these days for motorcyclists who forgo protective gear.
"I would never tell people not to ride bikes," said Schreiber, who is raising her 12-year-old half sister since her mother and stepfather were killed.
"I would just like people to think about safety precautions before they do it."
Jeffrey and Christine Konrath were among 93 motorcyclists who died on Wisconsin roads in 2006, up 79% from a decade ago. Over that same time, motorcycle fatalities have more than doubled nationwide.
Much of that can be attributed to the rising number of bikes on the road. In fact, in Wisconsin, the death rate dropped in 2005 to the lowest level since 1996, when factoring in the number of motorcycles registered, according to the latest figures from the U.S. Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
The death rate nationally rose 30% during that period.
Riders and safety officials say they are troubled by the rising death toll and some of the trends they see reflected in the numbers.
"What stands out to me is the significant increase in those killed that are 45 and older," said Dennis Hughes, who as chief of safety programs for the Wisconsin Department of Transportation is implementing new programs to target those riders.
Last year in Wisconsin, 43% of motorcyclists killed were 45 and older, up from around 10% in 1995 and under 2% in '91, according to the state.
"It's that baby boomer generation coming on board," said Hughes.
"Many of them had experience riding bikes. But they're going back to a bike that's a lot different from what they learned on. They're bigger, they're heavier and the maneuvering is a lot different."
Hughes' observations are reflected in the national data as well. Riders 40 and older made up nearly half of the fatalities in 2005, the latest year for which those numbers are available, according to NHTSA, up from 24% in 1995.
Among the other trends in Wisconsin and the nation:
• A growing number of fatalities involve larger bikes with more powerful engines (1,001 to 1,500 cubic centimeters).
• Alcohol consumption and failure to wear a helmet continue to be factors. In Wisconsin last year, 75% of those killed weren't wearing helmets and 47% had been drinking. Nationally in 2005, the latest year available, 35% had been drinking and 43% were not wearing a helmet.
• Of those killed, older riders were more likely than their younger counterparts to have been intoxicated and less likely - at least to age 60 - to wear a helmet. Younger riders were more apt to be speeding.
Brookfield motorcyclists Catherine and Peter Dhein, both in their 50s, aim to defy the statistics. He's taken the Harley Rider's Edge training course, and they always wear helmets, said Catherine, as they readied their Ultra Classic for an overnight trek from Milwaukee's House of Harley to western Wisconsin on Friday.
"We don't drink when we're riding, and we don't drive at night," she said.
Aside from the trends and the growing number of bikes on the road, it's difficult to explain the rising death toll. However, that could change in the coming years.
The Motorcycle Safety Foundation in Irvine, Calif., said this month that it would commit $2.8 million to match federal funds set aside to conduct the first comprehensive study of motorcycle crash causes since the 1970s.
The findings could have long-term implications for riders, manufacturers and policy-makers.
"When that's done, we'll understand why this is happening and what we can do to reduce these numbers, said NHTSA spokesman Ray Tyson.
"We know, for example, that increased helmet use helps, that impaired riding is a factor," he said. "But we don't know what else, for example, things we could be doing to make motorcycles safer."
Wisconsin, in the meantime, has been expanding its rider education programs, adding classes to accommodate the growing demand and targeting some to older or returning riders.
In addition to the standard safety program available through technical schools around the state, the DOT offers a refresher course for returning riders and a new Seasoned Rider program that addresses the effects of aging - for example, declining vision and reaction time. And it is launching a pilot program in the Fox Valley that pairs new or returning riders with experienced mentors.
The state is looking to expand a program tested by a motorcycle coalition in Jefferson, Dane and Waukesha counties that lets riders lock up their bikes in secure storage crates at local bars if they are intoxicated, and federal officials are interested in rolling that out nationally.
In every program, regardless of the age or expertise of the rider, safety instructors stress two recurring themes: the importance of riding sober and proper equipment, most importantly a helmet, said Ron Thompson, who manages the motorcycle safety programs for the state.
"We tell people, if you don't wear it for yourselves, wear it for your family and friends - so you can ride again," Thompson said.
A helmet is a tool, and as such isn’t appropriate for every single ‘ride’ one takes.
I’ve been riding a motorcyle of one kind or another since I was around eight years old. I’m riding today, actually.
No helmt. I’m in a rural area of Southern Ohio. The biggest dangers you face here are deer, followed by large John Deere farm equipment that I still don’t have any clue as to what they do, only that they are bigger than my first four apartments - Combined.
You only have two options when riding. Avoid whatever it is that might hit you/you hit....or don’t.
I prefer unrestricted vision, and the additional hearing I get without the helmet on these rural roads. Expressways, or roads allowing that type of speed, yep a helmet is the best course of action.
Its worth noting the young lady quoted initially in the article makes NO CLAIM a helmet would have kept her parents alive.....
As for the age of victims being ‘over 45’ we can all thank motorcycle manufacturers that keep the price of their bikes inflated by keeping production runs smaller than the immediate demand.....
This article is pure lies and propaganda.
It does NOT consider there are FAR MORE bikers on the road.
It does NOT mention that 90 percent of all accidents are riders who have had their bikes LESS THAN SIX MONTHS.
It does NOT mention that the VAST MAJORITY of accidents involve people who do NOT HAVE A MC ENDORSEMENT on their licnese. (riding without a license)
It also doe snot mintion that the vast majority of those in accidents have NEVER taken a safety class.
It also does not mention that FMVSS 218 (the ONLY NHTSA safety standard that must be complied as a matter of law. the snell standard is legally irrelevant) ONLY goes up to 14 MPH for impact!
The issue the article obstructs is that this is NOT about to wear or not to wear, this is about to regulate behavior or not regulate behavior.
If you REALLY wanted to reduce motorcycle accidents, require AUTODRIVERS to take a motorcycle safty awareness couse.
per capita the number of deaths is down.
Keep in mind each and every year there are more motorcycles on the road.
Consider how many car accidents have skyrocketed since 1850. Perhaps we should go to 1850 levels of automobiles.
helmets (which fmvss218 only requirs about 14mph damage speed) give insurance companies the same benefit as sleeper trains set up so the pillow end of the bed was in the direction of travel. A broken neck means less expense to the insurance company.
What’s a “hypercharger”?
My Ford pickup has a supercharger and I’ve owned several vehicles with turbochargers.
Sounds good to me, Star’s are one of the most popular metric cruisers.
Bushmills is and excellent adult beverage as I remember from my drinking days. >:-}
Howe many cars were on the road in 1850????
Hyperchargers and jetting help the incoming airflow. Sad to say it isn’t anywhere near as effective as turbo or supercharging but it is better than standard carb and air filters.
I’ve startled a few 600cc sport bikes...eventually those cc’s kick in!
It was a normal place that turned due to new owners.
I would say the number of people injured in train accidents skyrocketed after 1850. But the good news is the number of people killed in horse related accidents plummeted!
Then in the early 1900s the number of automobilie injuries skyrocketed! But the number of train wreck fatalities plummeted!
Thanks for the explanation. ;)
Ya can’t beat cubic cc’s ~ if you like speed, check out the ‘08 Hayabusa.
I like riding on twisty two lane back roads and the SV650 is excellent for that discipline. There are always short straight stretches where you can whack it on and hit 120+. >:-}
How about horse related accidents in the early 1900’s?
My dad was badly injured while riding in a rodeo in 1905.
It ain’t a ‘busa but for speed I have an ‘87 Kaw ZL 1000, only made for 2-3 years. Fast, meant to battle the Vmax of its day. 0-60 2.9 but I’m probably closer to 3.5 secs. Still pretty quick.
I had an ‘81 Suzuki GS1100EX that I rode from ‘80 until ‘91 when I bought a 1200cc Sportster.
The GS was pretty quick in its day and it was bullet proof; it ran and ran and was still running great when I sold it to a software engineer here in Eugene.
I didn’t have room in the garage or I would have kept the old lump. >:-}
The Sportster was fast for a Sportster; it had Screaming Eagle ignition, Sifton Cams, 42mm Mikuni flat slide carb, Works Performance rear shocks, reworked dampeners in the front forks and after mkt baloney cut mufflers which were not as loud as straight pipes.
You could very easily get trampled walking down the street, no need for a rodeo. But the universality of horses meant that young men were more tempted into reckless behavior LIKE rodeos. Still, the more trains were available for hauling goods and people, the fewer horses were needed, the fewer accidents. But the number of people dying in train crashes got very high at one point. Five or six thousand a year for decades, IIRC.
You could very easily get trampled walking down the street, no need for a rodeo. But the universality of horses meant that young men were more tempted into reckless behavior LIKE rodeos. Still, the more trains were available for hauling goods and people, the fewer horses were needed, the fewer accidents. But the number of people dying in train crashes got very high at one point. Five or six thousand a year for decades, IIRC.
Nothing compares to the numbers that are killed and injured on our roadways each year ~ even with all of laws, rules and regulations on vehicles and drivers.
The truth is ~ we’re all gonna *die, sometime. >:-}
(*with one exception if you are a Christian)
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