Motorcycle fatalities on the decline
Motorcycles are sometimes derided because the odds of being badly injured in an accident have historically been high. But the industry may be shedding that moniker if the reports from a recent study about the decline in motorcycle fatalities are accurate.
Motorcycle accident fatalities dropped in 2010
According to the Governors Highway Safety Association, deaths from motorcycle accidents declined from 4,465 in 2009 to 4,376 in 2010, a 2 percent drop.
The GHSA looked at motorcycle fatalities in each of the 50 states and found the rate was down in approximately half the states, with fatalities dropping quite significantly in states such as Texas, Oregon and Oklahoma.
Commenting on his state's significant drop in motorcycle fatalities—27 percent—Oregon's Troy Costales, vice chairman of the GHSA, said a lot of it had to do with officials cracking down on impaired driving.
"Oregon has worked successfully with our motorcycle clubs, who are effective advocates for riding safe and sober," said Costales.
Room for improvement
Despite the decline in motorcycle accident deaths, analysts say there's plenty of room for improvement because, among other things, the rate of mortality decline was not significant compared to 2009.
For instance, the drop in fatalities from 4,465 in 2009 to 4,376 last year was a decline of just 2 percent, a far cry from the 16 percent drop-off in motorcycle accident fatalities observed in 2009 compared to 2008. Furthermore, the decline in accidents observed in 2010 was primarily confined to the first half of the year, when fewer motorcycles tend to be on the road due to colder temperatures. And because gas prices are so high, industry experts say more people will be traveling by motorcycle this summer, thereby increasing the opportunity for them to be involved in a serious accident.
GHSA chairman Vernon Betkey said his organization is doing what it can to increase vehicle safety for everyone as a result.
"We are going to be very aggressive in targeting our programs where they are needed the most," Betkey said. "Additionally, we will continue to remind all roadway users that motorcycles are a legal and legitimate way of transportation and we all need to safely share the road."
According to GasBuddy.com, the average price for a gallon of gasoline in the U.S. was $3.93 as of May 3, jumping 7 cents in a week and 30 cents in a month. In May 2010, the average price for gas was $2.90.
