This year's looking bad for bikers. Already the Kansas City Police Department has recorded 10 motorcycle-related fatalities, which ties this year with 2003 for the highest number of deaths in the past decade, and we're barely half-way through.
On his blog, Kansas City Police Chief Jim Corwin says that speed has been a factor in five crashes; in two instances cars failed to yield to motorcycles; and in one case, a biker wasn't paying attention. In at least seven of the deaths, bikers were wearing DOT-approved helmets (helmets reportedly reduce the likelihood of dying in a crash by 29 percent). Toxicology reports are pending.
Overall, there's no clear pattern (that might indicate why it's such a dangerous year).
Gail Worth, owner of Gail's Harley Davidson says fatalities might be up because sales are up, and there are simply more bikes on the road. (According to the Missouri Department of Revenue, new motorcycle licenses increased by 10 percent between 2004 and 2008).
There may be an increase in bike sales and licenses, but Clarence
Wildes, owner of Rolling Wheels Training Center, has seen fewer people
enrolling in basic rider safety courses this year.
"A lot of
your crashes are happening to people in their first six months," he
says, "particularly if they're not trained." Younger guys are more
inclined to stunt riding, he adds, while older riders (45 and up) are
more likely to get on their bikes after a drink or two.
But there's no evidence of those factors in this year's fatality stats.
Just be careful out there, OK?Showing 1-2 of 2
What's killing KC motorcyclists?
Well, there is one common factor - they were all riding motorcycles.
Seriously: those things are death-traps. You gotta be nuts to ride one in traffic. On a closed track or off-road, great. But in traffic? Really? I feel unsafe enough in traffic with a damn vehicle around me, what with all the morons on the roads these days.
We try our best to be safe. We avoid city motorcycle driving when possible; we avoid freeways; we never ride after twilight. Cliff NEVER NEVER NEVER has even one alcoholic drink while we're riding.
Still, we've had a couple of close calls where some idiot in a car acts as though we're not there... one would have been a head-on crash.
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