THE AIM/NCOM MOTORCYCLE E-NEWS SERVICE is brought to you by Aid to Injured Motorcyclists (A.I.M.) and the National Coalition of Motorcyclists (NCOM), and is sponsored by the Law Offices of Richard M. Lester. For more information, call us at 1-(800) ON-A-BIKE or visit us on our website at www.ON-A-BIKE.com.
FLORIDA STATS SHOW HELMETLESS RIDERS LESS LIKELY TO DIE Not only do recently released injury and fatality statistics for 2004 in the state of Florida dispel predictions of a blood bath following repeal of that state’s helmet law, but reveal that motorcyclists wearing helmets were more likely to sustain an injury or suffer a fatality than their non-helmeted counterparts.
According to the recently released, Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles annual Traffic Crash Statistics Report for 2004, of the 388 motorcycle riders killed in crashes on Florida roads last year, over 51% were wearing helmets. The crash facts also demonstrate that riders wearing helmets were more likely to sustain injuries than non-helmeted riders.
In each of the statistical focus topics presented in the study, the percentage numbers were very close between helmeted and non- helmeted riders, except for non-injury crashes. The study stated that non- helmeted riders were 20% more likely to walk away from a crash without injuries than riders who were wearing helmets.
The huge increase in death and injury to non-helmeted motorcycle riders, predicted by NHTSA (National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration) in a report released this summer, has not been substantiated, and in fact was disproved.
“The numbers are going to disappoint the proponents of helmet laws while simultaneously confirming the facts presented to the public by ABATE of Florida, Inc.,” stated James “Doc” Reichenbach, President of ABATE of Florida, Inc., who’s group lobbied strongly for motorcycle helmet reform in 2000. “ABATE of Florida has spent years focusing on motorcycle related safety issues, including crash prevention and stiffer penalties for negligent vehicle operators who kill and injure motorcycle riders.”
ABATE of Florida, Inc. is spreading the word about motorcycle safety and awareness through high school drivers education programs, posters, flyers, the presentation of a free Motorcycle Safety and Awareness Program, along with a series of annual safety seminars for the motorcycle riding and non-riding public.
In conjunction with the Florida legislature, ABATE is putting Billboards throughout the state to encourage drivers to be aware of motorcycles and to drive alertly.
Reichenbach, who also serves as Chairman of the Board for the National Coalition of Motorcyclists (NCOM), added that “The numbers from the crash report for 2004 may favor our point of view, but even one death is too many.”
HELMET LAW HURTS ITALIAN SCOOTER MAKER Aprilia, the Italian motorcycle conglomerate that also owns Moto Guzzi and Laverda, has been hurt financially in recent years by a combination of factors and is negotiating with several banks to try to avoid defaulting on its debt, according to Italian news media.
One contributing factor is that scooter sales in Italy, the company’s primary market, have fallen off since 2001 when a new law passed requiring scooter riders to wear helmets.
Aprilia sold fewer than 2,000 motorcycles in the United States in 2003, accounting for less than 0.25% of the U.S. motorcycle market. European sales are far more critical to the company’s financial health than its relatively small U.S. operation.Meanwhile, Ducati recently announced it is preparing to make an offer to buy Moto Guzzi from Aprilia, which purchased the Moto Guzzi brand in 2001 by outbidding Ducati.
MANDATORY RE-TRAINING FOR ALL RIDERS? In an address to the Fifth International Motorcycle Conference, the President of the Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF) Tim Buche called for a “safety renewal” program, which essentially would involve ongoing rider training for all motorcycle riders.
During his presentation to the Conference, held in Munich, Germany in conjunction with the Intermot Show, Buche addressed the fact that most research has shown little benefit from the current U.S. rider-training formula, which essentially calls for a single, basic training course.
Although such training, which is mandatory in some states for younger riders, appears to have an initial benefit lasting perhaps six months for new riders, it doesn’t have any measurable benefits in longer terms. Buche announced new research that looks at more parameters and will focus in particular on repetitive training, where a rider would follow up his initial training with additional courses tailored for those with more experience and skills. The MSF news release about the presentation notes that a possible federal motorcycle-safety study might also shed light on the topic.
SOME USEFUL MOTORCYCLE STATISTICS:Of the over 6.5 million motorcycles registered in the United States, 282,389 were used for primary transportation.Of the 129 million US commuters, 147,703 rode motorcycles to work regularly.More than 20 million Americans surveyed in 2003 said they had ridden within the previous year. (Off-road riding accounted for a third of that figure.)3 to 5 motorcycles fit in one automobile parking space.Motorcycles get 50.1 m.p.g. on average, passenger cars 22.3 m.p.g., light trucks/SUVs 17.7 m.p.g.Sources: Ridetowork.com, Motorcycle Industry Council
SOME MORE USEFUL STATISTICS:DOCTORS: (A) There are 700,000 physicians in the U.S. (B) Accidental deaths caused by physicians total 120,000 per year. (C) Accidental death percentage per physician is 0.171.MOTORCYCLES: (A) There are over 6 million motorcycles registered in the U.S. (B) There were 4,008 motorcyclist fatalities in 2004. (C) The percentage of accidental deaths per motorcycle is 0.000668.Statistically, then, doctors are 256 times more dangerous to the public health than motorcycles. Fact: LESS THAN 2 PERCENT OF THE POPULATION OWNS A MOTORCYCLE, BUT ALMOST EVERYONE HAS AT LEAST ONE DOCTOR.
CHINA LEADING THE WAY IN MOTORCYCLE SALES When most Americans think of motorcycle imports, they think of the Japanese brands Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki and Kawasaki – the “Big Four”. But in fact, according to Business Wire, China has dominated the world’s production of motorcycles since 1994, churning out 14 million motorcycles in 2003. Exports surged from more than 3.4 million units (US$650 million) in 2002 to almost 9 million motorcycles (US$1.45 billion) last year–a phenomenal increase of 123 percent in value, and representing 48% of the global output. This is astounding growth even for an industry that has shown consistent strength.
Chinese motorcycles and associated products are now exported to some 200 countries, many of them in the developing regions of Southeast Asia, South Asia and Africa, and developed countries in the Middle East. Sales to the favored U.S. and European markets are also increasing.
MOTORCYCLES DAMAGE HEARING When the band Steppenwolf sang of heavy metal thunder in “Born to be Wild,” their classic ode to the freewheeling biker lifestyle, they equated rocking out to the new electric music of their time with the ear-pounding experience of riding a motorcycle. The notion that loud music can damage hearing is common knowledge, but the noise produced by motorcycles can pose similar risk to riders, University of Florida hearing experts’ caution.
In an informal survey of 33 motorcycles, UF audiologists at the College of Public Health and Health Professions have found nearly half produced sounds above 100 decibels when throttled up — equivalent in intensity to a loud rock concert or a chainsaw.
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health cautions that exposure to noise at 100 decibels is safe for only 15 minutes. Permanent hearing loss can occur with prolonged exposure to any noise measuring 85 decibels or above. Although noise-induced hearing loss is permanent, it is preventable.
Although motorcycle helmets don’t provide any significant protection against noise, inexpensive foam earplugs, available at drug stores, can reduce sound levels by 20 decibels to 25 decibels.
Riders should pay attention to the warning signs of noise-induced hearing loss: a ringing sound in the ears immediately after exposure, and hearing voices and other sounds as muffled.
HELLO? Giving birth to a new catch phrase: “Hang up and RIDE!”, motorcyclists can join the cell phone rage now that there’s a new audio headset designed to fit under their helmets while they rumble down the road.
The “scala-rider” from Cardo Systems (www.cardowireless.com) is a Bluetooth headset that includes a wind-resistant microphone that provides clear audio for listening and talking while riding at speeds of up to 75 mph. The scala-rider also allows users to accept or reject incoming calls without letting go of the handlebars, by using voice controls.
WEIRD NEWS: Helmet Saves Rider From Lightening Strike. A Texas man is recovering from an accident in Colorado after being hit in the head by lightening. A gold chain and crucifix melted around his neck and burned a rope pattern in his skin when a lightning bolt struck Jason Crawford in the head while he and his brother were riding dirt bikes in Gunnison County, Colorado.
The bolt melted part of his helmet, fractured his skull and left burn scars on his chest and left arm. Still, Crawford knows it could have been worse. Doctors told him if he hadn’t had his helmet on, he would have died. Even with the helmet, it took 30 stitches to close a wound in his head caused by the freak lighting strike.
Jason Crawford, 31, and his brother John, 36, from Houston, Texas, were riding dirt bikes in Taylor Park recently when the bolt came out of the blue. Jason said they were on Italian Creek Pass when it started sprinkling and the bolt came without warning. John told the Grand Junction Sentinel that the lightning strike caused Jason to do a back flip off his motorbike and twist in the air before he landed on the ground, unable to move.
John said he didn’t know what to do and started screaming for help. Incredibly, a U.S. Forest Service ranger was nearby, heard the yells and came to their aid. He quickly used his two-way radio to call for an ambulance. Then several other dirt-bikers rode up and one was a doctor who checked out Jason’s vital signs. Luckily, his heart hadn’t stopped beating and Jason finally managed to talk. His first words after the accident were, “Don’t let me die.”
He was airlifted to a hospital in Grand Junction where he was treated and released a few days later, but doctors still don’t know the extent of the damage, due to scar tissue and unhealed injuries. He still can’t hear in one ear.
His brother, John, said it was a fluke that the lightning hit.
“What are the chances of being struck by lightning on a moving bike,” John told the Sentinel. “You can’t prepare for that.”
TASMANIAN BIKERS LOBBY AGAINST MOTORCYCLE LEVY Bikers in Tasmania, Australia successfully lobbied against a proposed $15-a-year levy to motorcycle licenses to fund a government sponsored safety campaign. The State Government’s controversial push to introduce the levy on motorcyclists to fund a safety program failed in the Legislative Council, due largely to objections raised by the motorcycle community.
Nine Independent MLCs voted against the legislation that they argued discriminated against motorcyclists and would set a dangerous user-pays precedent to the State.The Tasmanian Motorcycle Council led a strong lobby against the proposed law and said that motorcyclists should not have to pay for the strategy’s administration, arguing that it was inappropriate that $405,000 of levy funds would go to cover administrative costs.
The leader of the Government in the Upper House, Michael Aird, said that the Tasmanian Motorcycle Safety Strategy 2005-06 would now have to be abandoned.
Tasmanian Greens infrastructure spokesman Kim Booth congratulated the motorcycle council on its demand for equality in road safety training.”The responsibility is now back on the Labor Government to ensure that the necessary road safety training is still made available,” he said.State Opposition leader Rene Hidding said that the defeat of the bill showed the Government had failed to adequately consult the motorcycle community.
QUOTABLE QUOTE: “Being in politics is like being a football coach. You have to be smart enough to understand the game, and dumb enough to think it’s important.”
Eugene McCarthy (1916 – ) US politician, teacher
