Motorcycle sales have risen this year, perhaps due to COVID and the appeal of hitting the open road. Sitting with other people on a crowded public transport system, such as a bus or a train, is no longer considered safe and people are looking for alternatives. You have probably heard others talk about the dangers of motorcycling. Maybe your mother forbade you from buying one, as she did not want you to “get yourself killed.” The question is, is motorcycling as dangerous as people think?
Not according to the statistics.
According to The National Safety Council’s (NSC) Odds of Dying Chart, the overall risk of a US citizen dying due to a motorcycle crash is 1 in 890. This compares with the much higher risk of dying in a motor vehicle crash of any sort, which is 1 in 106. To add some perspective, the threat from heart disease is one in 6, and cancer is one in 7.
However, these figures do not represent the whole picture. Remember that everyone has a heart, but only 8% of households own a bike, according to the Motorcycle Industry Council. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) calculates that you are 27 times more likely per mile to be killed when riding a motorcycle than if you were traveling by car.
Those of us who love motorcycle riding, however, will not be deterred by statistics like these. Instead, these numbers should encourage people to show more care in wearing protective gear and driving defensively. Awareness of the most common motorcycle accidents is also prudent.
Left-turn vehicle driver cause many accidents
In 43% of the fatal motorcycle crashes documented, there was no other vehicle involved. However, when another car was involved, 42% of the time the collision was due to the second vehicle turning left across the motorcyclist.
Statistics do not count for much if you have already been seriously injured in a motorcycle crash. However unlikely it may have been, it happened. The only figures that matter now are those related to compensation. Seek legal help to ensure the insurance company does not short-change you.
