Known for an inclination to buck societal norms, motorcyclists seem to be moving in line with a trend they should be happy to follow: not dying on America’s highways.

After a decade-long increase of almost 20% in the annual number of deaths from motorcycle crashes, preliminary reports for 2009 motorcyclist fatalities indicate at least a 10% decrease, which is the first such drop in 12 years.

The numbers come from a survey by the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) that asked states to report their motorcycle fatalities for 2009. All 50 states and the District of Columbia responded and the GHSA analyzed the findings and published a report in April.

In Tennessee, the number of deaths from motorcycle accidents for the first nine months of 2009 was 101, a decrease of 31 deaths, or 23.5%, from the same period in 2008.

In all, 39 states reported monthly totals for the first nine months of 2009. Of those states, Tennessee had the fourth largest decrease in number of motorcyclist fatalities from 2008 to ‘09:

California had 133 fewer deaths, for a 29.3% decrease

Florida had 111 fewer deaths, for a 26.9% decrease

Ohio had 48 fewer deaths, for a 26.1% decrease

Tennessee had 31 fewer deaths for a 23.5% decrease

States attributed the decrease in fatalities to several factors, including:

poor economy – a lot of motorcycle travel is recreational so it gets eliminated or curtailed when money gets tight. that means fewer motorcycles on the road and, thus, fewer motorcycle wrecks, injuries and deaths.

fewer beginners – respondents said the growth in new riders attracted to motorcycling may have reached its zenith. The lower number of beginners may also be related to leaner economic times because a motorcycle is a big investment.

increased helmet use – statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) show a slow but steady increase of almost 20% in helmet use among motorcyclists from 2005 to 2009. An estimated 1,829 motorcyclists’ lives were saved in 2008 by wearing a helmet.

states’ safety programs – the 10-year climb in motorcycle accidents, injuries and fatalities led lots of states to place a stronger emphasis on motorcycle safety campaigns. Several responding states said they had stronger traffic law enforcement related to motorcycles, and an overall push to inform all motorists that they must share the road with motorcyclists.

Whatever the reason, the drop in deaths last year is very good news for a segment of the driving population who are very much at risk. NHTSA figures show that based on vehicle miles traveled, motorcyclists involved in an auto accident are 37 times more likely to be killed and nine times more likely to be injured than people in passenger cars.

A majority of car-motorcycle accidents are caused by the driver of the passenger car who either did not see or bother to look for a motorcyclist. The increase in distracted driving-related accidents poses an even greater threat to motorcyclists who are less visible than drivers in cars and trucks, and much more vulnerable to serious injury should a collision occur.

In order to ensure the continued downward trend in motorcycle accidents, injuries and deaths, states must institute or beef up programs that address:

helmet issues – helmets are required for all motorcyclists in about half the states, and most of the remaining ones require helmets for certain riders. There are three states that have no helmet law. The GHSA recommends that every state strictly enforce its helmet laws and adopt a uniform helmet requirement.

impaired riding – nearly a third of the motorcyclists who were killed in wrecks in 2008 were over the legal alcohol limit, according to the NHTSA.

licensing issues – 25% of the riders who died in motorcycle crashes in 2008 did not have a valid license (that’s compared to 12% of those killed in fatal passenger car crashes with an invalid license)

speeding - more than half of motorcycle fatalities are from single-vehicle accidents and excessive speed was likely a contributing factor. The NHTSA reports that 35% of motorcyclists killed in fatal wrecks in 2008 were speeding. By comparison, 23% of passenger car fatalities and 19% for light trucks involved excessive speed.

While celebrating the drop in motorcycle fatalities in 2009, the GHSA cautions that there is no guarantee the totals will continue to go down. Deaths from motorcycle wrecks have gone down before, in fact, there was a 60% decrease from 1980 to 1997. But the climb in fatalities over the past 11 years eliminated those gains.

Government agencies and safety advocates must continue to urge all drivers to be aware of everyone on the road. The GHSA has a list of Tips for Sharing the Road with Motorcyclists that includes giving motorcycles a full lane and always signal lane changes ahead of the move.

Let’s drive safe out there!

This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 4th, 2010 at 12:20 pm and is filed under blog. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.