http://www.argusleader.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080810/NEWS/808100320/1001 Rally, age boost S.D. death toll Motorcycle crash fatalities increased after states weakened helmet laws Matthew Gruchow • mgruchow@argusleader.com • August 10, 2008
Read Comments(11)Recommend (11)Print this page E-mail this article Share this article: Del.icio.us Facebook Digg Reddit Newsvine What’s this? The Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, which concludes this weekend in the Black Hills, inspires a pilgrimage of tens of thousands of bikers to South Dakota each year.
But the weeklong celebration of leather and chrome - coupled with good economic times and a baby boomer affinity for high-powered Harley-Davidsons - contributed to a grim roster of motorcycle accident deaths during a recent five-year period, according to an Argus Leader and Gannett News Service analysis.
Federal accident data indicates that 108 motorcycle riders died in 102 accidents from 2002 to 2006.
The statistics and observations of law enforcement and enthusiasts portray the typical victims as baby boomers drawn to the motorcycle culture but often lacking the experience to handle today's powerful bikes.
The analysis of the federal government's Fatality Analysis Reporting System on motorcycle deaths in South Dakota showed:
More than half of the victims - 58 percent - were 45 years or older.
More than half the drivers - 54 percent - were from out of state, a mark out of proportion with neighboring states.
More than half the accidents - 55 percent - occurred in the Sturgis rally month of August.
More than two-thirds of the victims - 70 percent - did not wear a helmet.
Almost all - 84 percent - were men.
"We've seen a dramatic increase in the number of motorcycles in traffic, and we've seen a dramatic increase in injuries and fatalities as well," said Rick Kiley, director of the South Dakota Motorcycle Rider Education Program.
South Dakota's experience is much like that of the nation as a whole. Death rates from motorcycle crashes have risen steadily since states began weakening helmet laws about a decade ago, according to the analysis of federal reports, which includes only accidents on public roads.
Most states once required all motorcycle riders to wear helmets. But a trend in the other direction began accelerating after 1995, when the federal government decided to stop withholding highway money from states without helmet laws.
As states weakened or repealed the laws, the percentage of riders who wore helmets began dropping. And fatality rates increased.
In 1996, 5.6 motorcyclists were killed for every 10,000 registered motorcycles, according to federal transportation officials. By 2006, the most recent data available, the rate had risen to 7.3, the analysis shows.
In raw numbers, the annual death toll rose from 2,160 to 4,810 during that same period. Meanwhile, fatality rates for other vehicles have been falling, transportation officials say.
Baby boomers getting back on motorcycles The Sturgis rally, with rider estimates of a half-million or more, skews South Dakota's number. A majority of the drivers in fatal accidents here are not South Dakotans. All six states that border South Dakota have the opposite experience, with most of the drivers dying in their home states.
Kiley said a variety of factors contribute to crash statistics, but the baby boomers are buying more bikes and oftentimes have not ridden a motorcycle in more than 20 years.
It's also simple arithmetic.
There was a ridership boom during this decade in South Dakota. The number of registered motorcycle riders in the state increased more than 22 percent from 2005 to 2007, to more than 70,000.
In that same period, the number of riders 52 years and older rose from 27 percent to 37 percent.
The boomers' motorcycle of choice is the Harley-Davidson. Of the 102 accidents in the federal data, 72 involved the American-made bike.
State Office of Highway Safety Director James Carpenter said his agency also has seen a trend of baby boomers getting on motorcycles after many years.
"They have some disposable income, and they're buying larger motorcycles," he said.
The youngest person to die in a South Dakota motorcycle accident reported to the federal government in that time period was 27 years old. The oldest was 80.
The average age was 44.6.
The data surprised veteran rider Ron Anderson of Rochester, Minn., who stopped in Sioux Falls on his way to Sturgis.
"I would have thought it was the young guys dying," he said. "I would have said at least early 20s."
Hazards of the road include weather, cars Today's riders are threatened by a trifecta of circumstances as old as motorcycles themselves: inexperience, mistakes and other drivers.
Sioux Falls Police Lt. Jerome Miller, who owns a motorcycle and teaches the department's motorcycle school, said there's no single profile of a motorcycle crash, but that two causes are prominent: operating the motorcycle in a dangerous manner or driver error.
"From the fatality standpoint, I think the majority leans toward the motorcyclist being at fault," he said. "But that doesn't mean that the other driver wasn't at fault in some way."
Weather and other drivers topped the list of worries for Kenny Lee, 67, of South Carolina as he traveled through South Dakota on his way to Sturgis.
"The most dangerous thing for me is the weather," Lee said. "But people on cell phones are probably one of the biggest hazards we face."
'We can make our own decisions' South Dakota law, passed in 1977, mandates helmet use only for those 17 years old and younger. Attempts to make stricter helmet regulations or mandate motorcycle safety education have met stiff resistance, said Sen. Bill Napoli of Rapid City, who's also a motorcycle rider.
"It hasn't been brought up for quite a few years," he said.
Sen. Ed Olson of Mitchell, who last summer witnessed a fatal motorcycle accident near Sturgis, said it's unlikely that helmet laws would pass. Mandatory safety instruction, which is what Olson said he would prefer, also would meet resistance.
"Now, the mood could change, but right now, I would be hesitant to say that it would have a good chance of passing," he said.
Sioux Falls police in the past few years have seen a positive change in helmet use, Miller said. "We're seeing a trend with a lot more people wearing helmets," he said.
But some biker advocates, while supportive and encouraging of helmet use, balk at making their use mandatory, said Darrel Killion, state coordinator for ABATE of South Dakota, a motorcycle advocacy group.
"It still comes down to the question, 'At what point do we draw the line?' " he said. "We can make our own decisions. And we don't need the government protecting us cradle to grave."
For Lee, who primarily wears a helmet on longer trips, wearing one can be troublesome.
"The peripheral vision is gone; hearing is gone," Lee said. "I know that a helmet might save my life, but at a high-speed crash, it's not going to be that big of a deal."
Demand for classes outpaces availability South Dakota was one of the first states in the nation to push comprehensive rider education in the early 1980s, Napoli said.
"Then we saw immediate results from the programs in a decrease in fatalities and a decrease in injuries," he said. "We cut the fatalities in half."
Kiley said that demand for safety courses exceeds the number of available classes. The demographic of those students has changed.
"I think people think we're dealing with younger students, and that's just not the case," Kiley said. "Our average age is 35 and runs all the way up through 72."
Lt. Miller said the economy probably will play a role in motorcycle numbers, which he expects to increase.
"I would say that it will continue until either the economy forces them to stop or they find a different hobby to spend their money on," he said. "The economy will probably play a fairly small role as motorcycles in general get much better gas mileage than most cars, therefore, if I'm going to give something up, it won't be something that makes economic sense."
Reach reporter Matthew Gruchow at 331-2301.
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