Bob CollinsThe Minnesota Department of Public Safety says the same contributing factors that killed motorcyclists last year are killing them this year. Three bikers died on July Fourth alone.
In a news release today announcing rider deaths are occurring more frequently than last year, the DPS says motorcyclist’s error and failure to yield the right-of-way are often leading causes.
It also issued these crash facts:
Age: 46 percent of the motorcyclists killed were over the age of 50; 31 percent were under 30.
Deer: Two of the fatal crashes involved a collision with a deer, a common trend within the last decade. During 2002-2012, 43 motorcyclists have been killed in a crash with a deer.
Helmet Use: Of the 22 motorcyclists with helmet-use cited in crash reports, over half (15) were not wearing a helmet. Seven riders were wearing a helmet.
Contributing Factors: Nearly half of the crashes involved another vehicle. In the motorcycle-only crashes, failure to negotiate a curve was cited eight times.
Location: Over 60 percent of the crashes occurred in a rural area and over one-third in the 12-county metro area.
Coincidentally, the release comes the same day this video is making the rounds on the InterTubes, which appears to confirm that some things that might seem like a good idea while riding a motorcycle, really aren’t.
