Motorcycle accident fatality statistics for 2008...
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tdager
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LittleIronPilot
Or high-siding. *shudder*
olasek
Pattern Altitude
Too bad the tables miss the most important numbers - fatalities per 100 million miles (or equivalent). Then we could compare it to GA aviation or other mods of transportation. The last time I looked at the motorycle ride was as dangerous as flying in a light piston Part 91 aircraft - at least the numbers were very close.
fgcason
En-Route
I know of many riders that fell off at >30mph including several the face planted at 80+mph and rode again. Some took a while to recover, others got back on and rode home totally unhurt.
Yes. At a complete stop and idiotically toppling over sideways because you forgot to put your foot down or something silly like that and preferably while falling over in grass or better yet, deep snow.
If you're going to fall off while moving and there's nothing you can do about it, that is certainly the way to do it if at all possible..not that you have much say in the matter when things go 7700 however that's the desired method to part ways.
Ways to not do it:
Highside = Ungood to at least the 500th power.
Tankslapper + Highside = one of the most violent demonstrations of physics that exists on two wheels (translation: don't go there no way no how)
ErikU
Pre-takeoff checklist
I ride and I fly...
Though statistics can be spun any number of ways.. the death rate for exposure in small airplanes and motorcycles is roughly the same... (I have studied both quite a bit).
That said, I feel way safer flying. Most people die while flying due to pilot error of some type. Most motorcycle accidents are caused by others.
At least while flying I can be in charge of my own risk.
Though statistics can be spun any number of ways.. the death rate for exposure in small airplanes and motorcycles is roughly the same... (I have studied both quite a bit).
That said, I feel way safer flying. Most people die while flying due to pilot error of some type. Most motorcycle accidents are caused by others.
At least while flying I can be in charge of my own risk.
DeeG
Cleared for Takeoff
Yeah, the 'stich is a little spendy, but, thanks to the US Gubment, I had 2/3 of mine paid for by the tax payers. (Economic Stimulus Check).
THANKS EVERYONE!!!!
Problem now is, I have three mesh jackets, 2 winter jackets, 2 winter overpants and a Darien light jacket and pants, tucked away in plastics tubs unused, and will probably never get used. Gave one of the brand new Field Sheer winter jacket and pants to a friend who doesn't wear any gear (and his helmet is an antique model from the 40's, complete with cork lining and fleece lined leather chin strap with snaps. We talked him into a new Schuberth)
He returned the favor with a bottle of single malt scotch. Now THAT I can use!!!!
Ddayle
Line Up and Wait
Hoover said it about flying & it is true on bikes too. ride the bike as far into the accident as you can. You cannot avoid an accident by "laying it down". At that point you have had the accident, now you are a out of controll sliding projectile. Rubber stops & steers a lot better than chrome.DaveR
Richard
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Ack...city life
Please stop doing that in front of me when I'm driving. Twice I had a front row seat watching the poor sap being tossed. One was fatal. I NEVER want to see that again. Too many riders, not enough thought.
fgcason
En-Route
+1
I don't even know how to 'lay it down'. Never learned, no one ever discussed precisely how to do it on demand beyond a low side rear tire lockup which is stupid. Don't want to know either. The few discussions on the subject never could justify voluntarily rag dolling down the road at high speed then wanting to take higher impact velocities with one's body against immovable objects.
The coefficient of rubber on cement is MUCH higher than steel/aluminum on cement. IOW, much lower impact velocities at the moment of impact.
The crash I was in, I was at maximum braking until it dropped off the road onto gravel dirt then maximum braking again until it ejected me. It was a violent experience however it was less brutal than if I had slid down the road then took the violent stopping impact.
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jesse
Touchdown! Greaser!
When I was 16 I cashed in probably about all the luck I'll ever have. I was hauling ass through some tight twisty roads that I never had been through before. I was doing at least twice the speed on the signs.
I was in the triple digits and suddenly realized that there was a hair-pin turn in front of me. There was also a guard-rail. I was still on the straight portion and jumped all over the brakes. There was just no way for me to go into the turn -- I was still way too fast and if I didn't make it I'd splat against the guard-rail. I went right off the road before the guard-rail started. I glanced at my speedo and was doing in excess of 70 mph when I went off. I have no idea how the hell it happened but I didn't lose control. I came to a stop in a field -- bike still idling smoothly. I probably sat there for a minute in shock. Eased out on the clutch, drove back up onto the road, and proceeded home..slowly.
I got very lucky -- didn't freak out -- and the dirt-bike days probably helped.
I bent some metal growing up on dirt bikes .... When I first got into street bikes -- I acted like the street was a race-track. A few close calls.... I really haven't had a close call in a long time though. I don't ride near as aggressively and predict traffic quite well.
I'll still screw around a little in the middle of no-where when there isn't a car in miles:
As for the gear -- I always wear a helmet and almost always wear an armored jacket with gloves. I don't usually wear anything stronger than jeans. I know it'd be ugly if I went down. It's acceptable risk for me.
I was in the triple digits and suddenly realized that there was a hair-pin turn in front of me. There was also a guard-rail. I was still on the straight portion and jumped all over the brakes. There was just no way for me to go into the turn -- I was still way too fast and if I didn't make it I'd splat against the guard-rail. I went right off the road before the guard-rail started. I glanced at my speedo and was doing in excess of 70 mph when I went off. I have no idea how the hell it happened but I didn't lose control. I came to a stop in a field -- bike still idling smoothly. I probably sat there for a minute in shock. Eased out on the clutch, drove back up onto the road, and proceeded home..slowly.
I got very lucky -- didn't freak out -- and the dirt-bike days probably helped.
I bent some metal growing up on dirt bikes .... When I first got into street bikes -- I acted like the street was a race-track. A few close calls.... I really haven't had a close call in a long time though. I don't ride near as aggressively and predict traffic quite well.
I'll still screw around a little in the middle of no-where when there isn't a car in miles:
As for the gear -- I always wear a helmet and almost always wear an armored jacket with gloves. I don't usually wear anything stronger than jeans. I know it'd be ugly if I went down. It's acceptable risk for me.
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jesse
Touchdown! Greaser!
You can depart a motorcycle in the triple digits provided you have at least a little gear and don't hit a solid object. If you're lucky you'll even stand back up and walk away. The big thing to avoid is hitting a solid object.
jesse
Touchdown! Greaser!
...and that rear tire lockup can cause one hell of a high-side if the tire regains traction.
It's funny to ask the "expert" riders out there what causes a low-side versus what causes a high-side. The "expert" will tell you a low-side is caused by a rear wheel lock up and a high-side is caused by a front wheel lockup ...the truth is the opposite
I've low-sided from a front-tire lockup before. You hit the ground so damn fast you don't even know what happened.
A low-side is generally caused by a front-tire lockup during heavy braking, or a tight corner where a tire lost traction, which could be the rear or front brake, or sand on either tire.
A high-side is caused by a loss of traction and then a sudden gain of traction which turns you into super-man minus the ability to land gently.
I've low-sided more times than I can count on dirt-bikes growing up and once on a street bike. I've never high-sided thankfully.
fgcason
En-Route
That's why I categorize locking up the front to low side as too dangerous to mess with. It's not what I consider a controlled crash. It's an instant down body slam to the pavement where you can possibly end up in front of the sliding bike headed toward whatever you're about to run into.
..then the bike will try to hit you in the back of the head.
I usually avoid the left lane in a double right turn situation however I got stuck in one a while back. The cage on the inside of the turn went wide into me and the rear tire hit some gravel and slid out while I was on the brakes on the rough road surface and I managed to let go of the rear brake. The tire grabbed and the rear end jumped right then left then right again extremely aggressively. I was just along for the ride and had no say in what was happening. To this day I have no clue why I didn't get ejected. I was only going maybe 5mph at the time but if there's anything more scary than that on this planet, I have yet to find it..and I've been in some really scary situations before.