Proficient Motorcycling. David L. Hough

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      Let’s also note that the definitions have changed. Back in the days of the Hurt Report, unfortunate events were called accidents—as if no one could predict what was happening or do anything about it. But today unfortunate events are called crashes. We’re getting away from the concept of a motorcyclist being an accident victim because in most situations the people involved can observe what’s happening and take evasive action.

      The majority of motorcycle crashes in the 1970s were collisions with other vehicles, mostly automobiles. Seventy-four percent were multivehicle—that is, at least one vehicle colliding with another. Twenty-six percent of motorcycle crashes were single vehicle, as when a bike slides out on gravel in a corner without involving another vehicle.

      The important point of this big picture is that back in the 1970s almost 75 percent of motorcycle crashes were multivehicle collisions, and roughly half of those collisions were precipitated by auto drivers. About 25 percent of all city motorcycle crashes were collisions with left-turning cars. The two most common errors motorcyclists made were believing the other driver saw them and not taking any evasive action. For example, 32 percent of the riders who collided with other vehicles rode into a collision without taking any evasive action.

      Today, that picture has changed slightly. According to a 2004 report of the National Center for Statistics and Analysis (NCSA), 46 percent of fatal motorcycle crashes were single vehicle, and more fatalities occurred on rural roads than on urban streets. In single-vehicle fatal crashes, the motorcyclist collided with a fixed object in approximately 60 percent of the cases.

      Only about one-fourth of all motorcycle crashes in the Hurt Report were precipitated by rider error: for example, the motorcyclist went wide in a turn and sideswiped a car or overcooked the rear brake trying to stop and slid out. That’s a clue that riders didn’t really understand how to control their motorcycles. Apparently, that trend continues. NCSA reported in 1999 that 30 percent of riders involved in fatal crashes didn’t take evasive action. Only 13 percent were attempting to brake, and 9 percent were attempting to steer out of trouble. If there is a lesson here, it is that motorcyclists would benefit from proficient control skills. For years we’ve been able to point the finger at other motorists as being the problem, but today it’s obvious that motorcyclists are responsible for at least half of fatal crashes.

       Licensing

      In the meantime, let’s consider the experience and licensing status of riders involved in crashes. In the following chart from the Hurt Report, 1.0 indicates the average of those studied. Numbers higher than 1.0 indicate a greater than average crash involvement.

      These statistics hint that riders with no license, a revoked license, or only an auto license were about twice as likely to be involved in a motorcycle crash as those with a permit and three times as likely as was a properly licensed motorcyclist. The NHTSA Traffic Safety Facts for 2004 reports that 24 percent of operators involved in fatal crashes nationwide did not have a valid license. Now, it should be obvious that just getting a piece of cardboard doesn’t change a rider’s skill. My suspicion is that it’s a matter of attitude. The rider who doesn’t get properly licensed is exhibiting an attitude that motorcycling isn’t a seriously risky activity. I can see how that attitude would carry over to aggressive riding and ignoring traffic laws. It should be no surprise that 27.4 percent of motorcyclists involved in fatal crashes in 2004 had prior speeding convictions, and 15.2 percent had recorded license suspensions or revocations.

      Licensing compliance was actually worse during the 1990s than in the 1970s. NCSA reported that 46 percent of riders in fatal crashes in 1990 were improperly licensed—that is, they were not licensed or their licenses were suspended, revoked, expired, or cancelled. By 1999, license compliance of motorcyclists involved in fatal crashes had climbed back up to 68 percent; better than in 1999, but worse than in the 1970s. Let’s hope that getting a higher percentage of riders properly licensed will have an effect on reducing the fatality rate.

       Riding Experience

      Let’s consider risk in relation to riding experience. Does your risk go down as you gain experience? In the following chart from the Hurt Report, 1.0 would be average. Above 1.0 means a higher than average risk; below 1.0 means a lower than average risk.