Motorcycle risk - whose fault?

12 March 2004: One of our readers has taken issue with the starkness of the Males up to 35 at most motorcycle risk story.

Dear Editor,

I think this article is a little too arbitrary, motorcycles are inherently more dangerous than cars, but can be much safer when riders are properly equipped and have been educated about riding technique.

So, if it's as bad or worse as it sounds here, then who is going to help make it safer for riders – the single most important safety feature, bar none, is education for all, including non motorcyclists, not restriction on riders.

So who knows what the real numbers and facts are?

How many motorcyclists are there in this age group?

What's the percentage involved in these accidents, and how does it compare to the other age groups?

In comparison, how do these accidents stack up against the same age group of car drivers?

What cc motorcycles are they riding. For instance, how many of these 25-35 years olds are fully licenced to ride larger than the 125 cc limit for under 25's and how many had recently migrated to larger cc engines once turning 25 which permits them to ride a larger engine size than a 125cc but on a provisional licence?

Regarding the under 25yr 125cc law, since it's introduction, has a study been undertaken, and if so, what has been the impact on motorcycle accidents?

(My opinion: 125cc motorcycles are inherently more dangerous than larger motorcycles, many of them are engineered for racing, and are capable of extremely high speeds in excess of 120 mph, but lack the weight for non racetrack maneuvers, or the engine power/torque to accelerate or engine brake in emergency situations, and due to their light weight, can be prone to wind sheer)

Where does the responsibility lie in the accidents? Rider error, mechanical failure, in the case of multiple vehicle accidents, who was at fault and what were the at fault vehicles?

What percentage of riders were wearing adequate protective clothing such as body armoured synthetic or leather riding apparel (both upper and lower torso – excluding helmets which are mandatory)

Carl

New York City

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