Motorbikes and odds of injury/death *updated*

[Krassus]

Is anyone out there aware of what the odds of getting injured or killed in a motorbike crash are? I've always wanted to own one, but i'm afraid for my bones I'm pretty level-headed though, so i'm not like some of those idiots who go flying through residential streets at 80MPH.

UPDATE: ATOT death/injury rate calculator project

 

[chin311]

i dunno, but id like to see this as well...

ill probably be getting a sportbike later this year

 

[Medellon]

My brother is in an orthopedic residency and he says most of the cases he sees are from crashes. Mostly cars of course but he says the reason he does not see many motorcycle accidents is because the people do not live long enough to worry about setting broken bones.

 

[pyonir]

IMHO if you are worried about the statistics and broken bones, you shouldn't be riding a motorcycle in the first place.

Everyone has to lay it down at some point, then question is when and how badly will you get hurt.

 

[Krassus]

Originally posted by: Medellon
My brother is in an orthopedic residency and he says most of the cases he sees are from crashes. Mostly cars of course but he says the reason he does not see many motorcycle accidents is because the people do not live long enough to worry about setting broken bones.

Actually it's because bikes are far rarer.

 

[beer]

Originally posted by: Krassus

Originally posted by: Medellon
My brother is in an orthopedic residency and he says most of the cases he sees are from crashes. Mostly cars of course but he says the reason he does not see many motorcycle accidents is because the people do not live long enough to worry about setting broken bones.

Actually it's because bikes are far rarer.

Actually, no, if you crash a bike and just roll with gear on you'll walk away, but if you hit anything you're basically dead or paralyzed. Try running into a wall face-first at 10 mph, and then multiply that by 4 and that's the average force you'd experience on normal city roads. Most people that have car wrecks walk away and have no problems; virtually anyone that has a motorcycl accident is going to have to go to the hospital, so that's your difference right there.

 

[Medellon]

True, but people rarely live in motorcycle wrecks.

 

[Krassus]

Originally posted by: Elemental007

Originally posted by: Krassus

Originally posted by: Medellon My brother is in an orthopedic residency and he says most of the cases he sees are from crashes. Mostly cars of course but he says the reason he does not see many motorcycle accidents is because the people do not live long enough to worry about setting broken bones.

Actually it's because bikes are far rarer.

Actually, no, if you crash a bike and just roll with gear on you'll walk away, but if you hit anything you're basically dead or paralyzed. Try running into a wall face-first at 10 mph, and then multiply that by 4 and that's the average force you'd experience on normal city roads. Most people that have car wrecks walk away and have no problems; virtually anyone that has a motorcycl accident is going to have to go to the hospital, so that's your difference right there.

Yeah, no one's arguing with that. But if there is one bike for every hundred cars on the road, you can't claim that the reason there are less injuries from bikes than cars is because most of the bikers end up dead. Which they may, but that's a separate issue.

 

[Excelsior]

Ok, lets get things straight. First off taking a MSF course and wearing the proper gear will drastically decrease the possibility of you being fataly injured in a motorycle crash and even preventing them from happening. Quite a few deaths occur from not wearing a helmet (skull+ground+45Mph+=bad) or all around reckless driving. I saw the numbers somewhere but can't find them.

 

[pyonir]

Here are some stats for ya. PDF!

 

[pyonir]

More info. Loads a little slow though

 

[vi edit]

I can pretty much tell you that 3/4 traffic accident deaths and organ donors that come through the doors of the operating room that my wife works in are motorcycle riders.

Three unrelated deaths this weekend from bikers. This rough statistic is really only valid from May-September.

 

[notfred]

Year 2000 Fatlities Per 10,000 Registered Vehicles
Motorcycles 6.7
Cars 1.6
Light trucks 1.5

Year 2000 fatalities Per 100 Million Vehicle Miles Traveled
Motorcycles 27.65
cars 1.31
Light trucks 1.22

So basically, you're about 20 times as likely to die on a motorcycle as in a car, if you drive the same distance in each one.

 

[gopunk]

yea... just look at any accident you've been in and think about if the car wasn't there and it was just you. you = dead/christopher reeve

 

[ManSnake]

Why do people die?

 

[Syringer]

Originally posted by: gopunk
yea... just look at any accident you've been in and think about if the car wasn't there and it was just you. you = dead/christopher reeve

http://maddox.xmission.com/mkcr1.jpg

 

[Krassus]

UPDATED: ATOT death/injury rate calculator

 

[InFecTed]

Originally posted by: Krassus
Is anyone out there aware of what the odds of getting injured or killed in a motorbike crash are? I've always wanted to own one, but i'm afraid for my bones I'm pretty level-headed though, so i'm not like some of those idiots who go flying through residential streets at 80MPH. UPDATE: ATOT death/injury rate calculator project

That's a totally wrong attitude.

 

[Pliablemoose]

Originally posted by: notfred
Year 2000 Fatlities Per 10,000 Registered Vehicles
Motorcycles 6.7
Cars 1.6
Light trucks 1.5

Year 2000 fatalities Per 100 Million Vehicle Miles Traveled
Motorcycles 27.65
cars 1.31
Light trucks 1.22

So basically, you're about 20 times as likely to die on a motorcycle as in a car, if you drive the same distance in each one.

Exactly why I hung it up, I want metal & airbags protecting me, the more of each, the better. Wish my pickup didn't rate so poorly in the footwell intrusion testing

 

[DainBramaged]

Originally posted by: notfred
Year 2000 Fatlities Per 10,000 Registered Vehicles
Motorcycles 6.7
Cars 1.6
Light trucks 1.5

Year 2000 fatalities Per 100 Million Vehicle Miles Traveled
Motorcycles 27.65
cars 1.31
Light trucks 1.22

So basically, you're about 20 times as likely to die on a motorcycle as in a car, if you drive the same distance in each one.

Thus, going to a nearby city (40 miles) and back on a bike is the equivelent of driving 800 miles in a car/truck. Wow.

 

[Squisher]

A good friend at work just took a tumble.

It took two weeks before the paralysis from the neck down started to wear off.

He got a stiffy that wouldn't go away so they had to go in and sever the artery that feeds it. Now his little soldier is always at ease. They are suppose to be able to go back in and re-attach his plumbing.

 

[freebee]

Originally posted by: Squisher
A good friend at work just took a tumble.

It took two weeks before the paralysis from the neck down started to wear off.

He got a stiffy that wouldn't go away so they had to go in and sever the artery that feeds it. Now his little soldier is always at ease. They are suppose to be able to go back in and re-attach his plumbing.

I think you have just discouraged me from ever riding a motorcycle.