Positive Headlines but Somber News for Riders
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says motorcycle deaths are rising. One reason for this that you should keep in mind is the surge in motorcycle-riding popularity. The Wall Street Journal says: NHTSA last week released preliminary figures for highway fatalities in 2006, and heralded a 2% decline in overall motor-vehicle fatalities to the lowest absolute number (42,642) in five years and the lowest rate per 100 million vehicle miles traveled the government has ever recorded. But underneath the positive headline was grim news for bikers. Fatalities among motorcycle riders rose 5.1% to 4,810 people, accounting for 11% of total highway deaths last year. That’s the highest share ever for motorcycle fatalities, and marks the ninth straight year that motorcycle fatalities have increased. The steady rise in deaths among motorcycle riders has coincided with a surge in sales of motorcycles since 1990. This is just one more phenomenon driven by Baby Boomers. The average age of motorcycle owners rose to 40.2 years old in 2003, up from 38.1 years old in 1990, according to a study of trends in motorcycle fatalities NHTSA researchers published in June 2006. More than 25% of bikes registered in 2003 were owned by people 50 or older, compared to just 10.1% in 1990. Overall, people over 40 owned 53% of motorcycles in 2003, according to the NHTSA report.NHTSA Statistics
