Is It Time to Ban Motorcycles?

An article this week in the Sun-Sentinel argues that it’s time to ban motorcycles. The author makes a few good points, too, that really can’t be argued with.

• A motorcycle crash is more likely to result in a fatality than a car crash.
• 73 out of every 100,000 motorcycle riders die in a car crash.
• Motorcycle rider fatalities make up for 11% of all traffic fatalities.

Those statistics are taken from a 2007 report from the U.S. Department of Transportation, and as far as I know, are absolutely true. Scary stuff, right?

Of course, that doesn’t exactly tell the whole story. The fact of the matter is that motorcycle fatalities have been declining for the last two years, and organizations like the AMA, MSF, and the NHTSA are pushing motorcycle safety more than ever.

There’s also the fact that the majority of motorcycle accidents are caused by other vehicles.

The Hurt Report, otherwise known as the "Motorcycle Accident Cause Factors and Identification of Countermeasures” report, names other drivers as one of the leading causes of motorcycle accidents and fatalities.

The report reads:

"The automobile driver fails to detect the inconspicuous motorcycle in traffic. This is due to lack of motorcycle and rider conspicuity and lack of caution and awareness of the automobile driver."

Now, the Hurt Report was conducted in the late 70’s, so I’m not going to use that as hard evidence. But the Department of Transportation has compiled various reports that support the fact that distracted drivers are the main cause for concern when it comes to motorcycle accidents. (They even dedicated an entire website, www.distraction.gov, to the problem.)

MSF President Tim Buche, said:

"Distracted driving is of great concern for motorcyclists as we simply have more at stake. Riders are obviously more vulnerable than car or truck drivers, the ones with far more access to a variety of distractions. Most motorcyclists are focused on one thing: riding. Other motorists should be focused on driving."

So are motorcyclists really the problem?

OK, I’ll be the first to admit that a motorcycle isn’t the safest way to travel. But neither is driving. Or flying. Or cycling. I even broke a toe once while I was walking. But should we ban pedestrian travel?
Life is full of accidents. There is only so much you can do to prevent them.