Some hidden facts that NHTSA hides from the public concerning motorcycle

[mrcheerful]

accidents. A few days ago people in DU where running with Motorcycles were more dangerous then cars because of what you read on the NHTSA. I had a problem with that statement because I read Easyriders magazine since they started out and they had an article that that was a false statement because NHTSA were including mopeds Accidents in with motorcycle accidents. In their statisic site NHTSA claims that a moped is anything with motors less then 2hp or 50cc, that is misleading as it leads one to conclude that mopeds and motorcycles are kept seperate when it comes to accident reports. Check out the NHTSA glossary though and you find out a startling fact.

http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/injury/pedbimot/motorcycle/Motorcycle_HTML/appf.html

Under the E-code it states this-------A motorcycle is a two-wheeled motor vehicle having one or two riding saddles and sometimes having a third wheel for the support of a sidecar. The sidecar is considered part of the motorcycle.

Includes: motorized:

bicycle
scooter
tricycle
FARS
Fatality Analysis Reporting System.

That shows NHTSA is misleading people into believing that mopeds are not motorcycles and by adding mopeds it throws motorcycle death rates off. Why is it that a moped rider is not required to wear helmets and motorcycles are? My deduction is this, because moped riders not wearing helmets when added to motorcycle helmetless death rates are increased so we are mislead into thinking helmets on motorcycle riders makes them safer. Also keep in mind mopeds are not required to be licensed so mopeds will not show up on the numbers of motorcycles on the road.

As a side note as this includes car drivers, accident rate percentages are figured by VMT. Thats why insurence companies ask you how many miles you travel from home to work, the more miles you drive the higher the rates you pay are. Heres the fact on that.........VMT
Vehicle miles traveled. The favored measure of driver exposure in principle, but rarely available in practice.

Remember most accidents happen within 5 miles from your home. So it doesn't matter if you drive 1 mile or a million. So why are they using VMT's?

My conculsion is NHTSA is misleading the american public to favor helmet and insurance lobbists. We are lead to believe safety devices save lives when facts are better drivers would save more lives then safety devices.

[havocmom]

1. Whole word would be safer if cars were off the road

:hide:

[Hell Hath No Fury]

2. Here in CA...

even moped drivers are covered by the helmet law:

"(a) A driver and any passenger shall wear a safety helmet meeting requirements established pursuant to Section 27802 when riding on a motorcycle, motor-driven cycle, or motorized bicycle."

As someone who has driven motorcylces/scooters for 20 years, I am a firm believer in the value of wearing a helmet. My helmet has saved me from serious head injury on two occassions, and I have known helmet-less drivers who have not been so lucky and ended up dead or with head injuries that were not pretty.

[ovidsen]

3. You just don't want to wear a helmet

So it doesn't matter if you drive 1 mile or a million.

Sure it does. If the overall accident rate is x accidents per mile, I face twice the accident risk by driving 2 miles, and so on. This is why the more miles you drive the higher the rates you pay are.

I'm no fan of insurance companies, but why should someone who drives 10 miles a day pay as much for insurance as someone who drives 100 miles a day?

Ben Roethlisberger has seen the light. You should, too. Wear a helmet unless you have a burning desire to be an organ donor. I don't want you to die.

And I don't want to pay for your unnecessary hospitalization through taxes and higher insurance premiums.

[mrcheerful]

5. Where do you get off saying you pay more on insurance and hospitals

because of motorcycle accidents? Fact a helmeted cycle rider is 10 times more likely to have a neck injury then a non helmeted rider. All helmets do is trade head injuries for neck injuries. Most head injuries are instant death so no hospital stay required is there? BTW, more common injuries are to the neck, back and limbs all of which require hospitalization. So What your trying to pass on is BS. Insurance rates also go up because of hurricanes and mudslides.

[MadHound]

6. Sorry, but that BS stat has been refuted time and again

"Are there drawbacks to helmet use? Claims have been made that helmets increase the risk of neck injury and reduce peripheral vision and hearing, but there is no credible evidence to support these arguments. A study by J.P. Goldstein often is cited by helmet opponents as evidence that helmets cause neck injuries, allegedly by adding to head mass in a crash.3 More than a dozen studies have refuted Goldstein's findings. A study reported in the Annals of Emergency Medicine in 1994 analyzed 1,153 motorcycle crashes in four midwestern states and determined that "helmets reduce head injuries without an increased occurrence of spinal injuries in motorcycle trauma."4


Regarding claims that helmets obstruct vision, studies show full-coverage helmets provide only minor restrictions in horizontal peripheral vision. A 1994 study found that wearing helmets restricts neither the ability to hear horn signals nor the likelihood of seeing a vehicle in an adjacent lane prior to initiating a lane change. To compensate for any restrictions in lateral vision, riders increased their head rotation prior to a lane change. There were no differences in hearing thresholds under three helmet conditions: no helmet, partial coverage, and full coverage. The noise generated by a motorcycle is so loud that any reduction in hearing capability that may result from wearing a helmet is inconsequential. Sound loud enough to be heard above the engine can be heard when wearing a helmet"<http://www.iihs.org/research/qanda/helmet_use.html>



"The facts simply don't support the claim by some helmet use opponents that helmets cause injuries rather than prevent them. After investigating 900 motorcycle crashes and 980 resulting head and neck injuries, the University of Southern California study concluded that


Helmeted riders and passengers experienced significantly fewer and Jess severe head and neck injuries than unhelmeted riders and passengers.

Only four of the 980 head and neck injuries were attributed to safety helmets and all were minor injuries. "Each of these four cases showed that protection from possible fatal injury was achieved, but with a small penalty of a 'band aid' type injury." These minor injuries included bruises and abrasions to the neck, jaw, nose, and head. In each case, the helmet prevented possible fatal or critical head injury.

There is a critical need for the use of protective equipment by every motorcycle rider. The contemporary motorcycle helmet provides a significant reduction of head and neck injury without any adverse effect on vision, hearing, or vulnerability for other injury"<http://ublib.buffalo.edu/libraries/e-resources/ebooks/records/749-1.html>

Stop getting all your information from Easyrider friend, they are not the be all and end all of credible motorcycle information. Besides, don't you think they just might have an image to push, you know, in order to sell subscriptions?

[mrcheerful]

9. You ever put a full face helmet on or even a full helmet? I know from

experince that even the slightest sight loss can get you killed. The government lies to insure their lobby money.

[MadHound]

13. Dude, I ride with a full face helmet on every day

And your claim is full of shit. Gee, wearing a full face means you have to turn your head back what, perhaps an inch or two more to get a good view:eyes: Are you that lazy when your life is on the line?

[mrcheerful]

17. Excuse me but when that car came across 5 lanes into the side of my

hard tail all I saw was a flash of green out of the corner of my eye, if i had a full face or a full helmet I would have not seen that flash of green and wouldn't have started putting my leg up over the gas tank. In which case instead of crushing my foot she would have ripped my leg off, btw, it also gave me enough time to drop a gear and twist the throttle so when she impacted my bike did a burn out and follwed her bumper around instead of going under her frount end. The real bitch was the second car that had started to run the stop sign, I was pushed into that car, so I ended up hitting 2 cars for the price of one that day. My head was turned so I could keep an eye on him, so having my full sighting abilites was a real plus. As it was I ended up ripping 2 toes off. Which could have been my leg, think about that. BTW, I'll keep to my shorties tvm. I forgot that helmets have gotten lighter in the last 10 years, back in the late 70's full helmets weighed 3 or 4 pounds. I just don't want big brother keeping me safe is all I'm saying.

[MadHound]

22. Perhaps you need to check out newer helmets

Not only are they lighter, but they offer a much better range of vision. The helmet I've got allows me to see a full 180 and a bit beyond. Oh, and if you had been wearing boots, especially steel toes as is recommended, you might have hung onto your toes too:shrug:

[mrcheerful]

25. It was the steel toes in my boots that cut my toes off, the steel toe was

ripped out after my foot came out from under the bumper of the car. The doctor said he was amazed that the steel toe didn't take all my toes, my boot was ripped off from where the steel toe started on the boot. I almost ended up with a toe less boot lol.

[MadHound]

29. Sorry to hear that

The odds went against you on that one. But it has been shown that steel toes, as with helmets, help more times than they hurt. You just got the bum end of that deal:shrug:

[mrcheerful]

30. Oh trust me that I do wear safety stuff when its wearable, 89 degree day

with 95% humidity just is to miserable to mention. But boots and a shortie is mandatoey most of the time. I just don't want big brother telling me about safety when they can't control the idiots with cell phones.

[mrcheerful]

23. What really sucked was while I was waiting for my head to catch up to my

body half a block from the accident, some asshole mugged me lol. He got a 1/2 a pack of Pall Malls a $25 lighter and 4 quarters.

[MadHound]

4. Well, that's a bit convaluted

So what, so they throw in the moped numbers with the motorcycle numbers, big deal. Yes, some states don't require moped riders to wear helmets, some however do.

The fact of the matter is that no matter what you are riding, bike, moped or motorcycle, your chances for head injuries and death resulting from such do indeed go down when wearing a helmet. And even better, if you are wearing other protective gear, injuries from road rash, etc. go down also.

Quick personal example. Twenty five years ago I rode a moped, an Angel, nice power for a small bike. I was going home one night, and head down a fairly steep hill. Caught a pothole with my front wheel that caused me to go head first over the handlebars. Thinking quickly, I curled up in a ball, and rolled all the way to the bottom of the hill. Picked myself up, checked for any injuries, and took off my helmet. It came off in two pieces, neatly split almost right down the middle. To this day I shudder to think what would have happened to me without the helmet.

Look, if you really, truly need to feel the wind in your hair, fine. And frankly, you are probably correct in thinking that part of the driving force for helmet laws is insurance companies. And while it would be nice to have better drivers on the road, you and I know damn well that's not going to happen. So if you don't wear a helmet, you're a damn fool for not doing so, Stop thinking about your own damn self for one minute, and think instead about your friends and family who are going to have to deal with your quadrapalegic or worse yet vegatative ass for the rest of your life. Do you really want to saddle them with such a burden, all so you can feel oh so cool and free riding down the road. Idiotcy, fucking idiotcy!

Everyday that is clear and above freezing I ride my bike for a fifty two mile round trip commute. I wear a quality DOT helmet and jacket with ballistic grade nylon shoulder, elbow and spine pads. In this weather right now, when I come home I'm a sweating mess. But I would rather be coming home a sweating mess everyday that not coming home at all, or worse yet, burdening my wife with having to care for my vegatative ass.

Stop being so juvenile about this, thinking only about yourself and your own precious image, and for once think about those who care the most about you. And then put on the goddamn helmet. You owe it to your friends and family more than anything, who gives a damn about the rest.

[mrcheerful]

7. Again another one that doesn't think. Guess what in 1990 I hit a car head

on at 35 mph, was wearing a T-shirt jeans and boots with a half helmet. When I hit the road after leaving the bike I threw my back out because I tucked and rolled, no road rash or helmet damage. My helmet never hit the road. In 1992 I got t-boned again at 35 mph wearing t-shirt jeans half helmet only damage done, left foot crushed and again no road rash or helmet damage. Both times I could do nothing to avoid the cars, the first one pulled out of a bar and made a left turn from less then 10 feet away. The second one a woman came across 5 lanes into the side of my bike. After 35 years of road experience,at 10,000 miles a summer, michigan winters you don't ride, in every riding condition you care to name, except ice, I've learned how to fall off cycles. I also ride with others that limp and have survived car vs cycle accidents who can tell you the same thing experience saves your ass. Who has troubles with cycles? The inexperienced that buy cycles they can't handle, I started out on small road bikes and worked my way up to a 1963 650 Triumph that I had rebuilt the engine on so it could hit 140 mph though I rarely went over 50 mph on it and never over 70mph, speed kills. I drank and drove once and learned to not drink while riding, scared the hell out of myself. I was out on the road in early april and rode until the first snow storm late november or early december. I've ridden 14 hours on one trip and even with a half helmet my neck was nothing but pain from the wind resistance. Mind you I was not a sport rider that only rode in 70+ degree weather, I was riding every day because I'd sell cars to get cycle parts. Then buy a clunker to get through the winter. I have had bikes do some of the craziest things you could ever think of, like when a back tire blew out on the expressway or the time I was riding a 67 BSA in the rain touched my back break and had it lock up, next thing I realized was I was on my side, but instinct took over and I had tucked my body so it was in the space between the gas tank and handle bars so I was not sliding on the pavement. The only time I had my head hit the road was when I blew the back tire and that was because of the weight of the full helmet drug my head down, then because of the helmet bouncing on the pavement I ended up with whip lash and a concussion. After that I went to half helmets which aren't as heavy and never had a helmet hit ground since. BTW, did you know Bell helmet recommends that you replace your helmet every time you drop it on the ground? Think about that. Thats my credentials whats yours?

[Robb]

10. That's one heavy damn helmet

...Pulled your head down? :rofl:

There are new materials that are even lighter than cast iron in helmet-making nowadays. My HJC weighs about three pounds.

Don't wear one if you don't want to. I think it's incredibly foolish.

[MadHound]

12. Congratulations, luck, experience, and gee, perhaps that half helmet

Saved your ass more than once. Good for you. Sad that you are advocating that others, especially the inexperienced, are perfectly safe to ride sans helmet or protective gear. Even sadder that you are willing to continue to push your luck by not wearing much more than a half helmet. Luck only runs so far friend, and on motorcycle when your run of luck ends, you're in deep shit. Perhaps you need to think about wearing more than a half helmet, like maybe long pants, boots and a protective jacket.

As far as creds go, well, OK, you've got me there, I've only been riding for twenty five years, on and off, on everything from mopeds, to dirt bikes(gotta love those old Hodaka Thunderdogs) to Harleys. Yes, I've had my share of spills, nothing serious thankfully, and I credit that to the fact that I was indeed wearing protective gear. Never hit or been hit by a car, though I've laid more than one bike down to avoid doing so. And I knew never to drink and drive while on a bike, therefore I never even tried. I ride everyday that the road is dry, the temperature is above freezing, and the forecast is clear. Face it, on a bike you're dealing with a lot smaller margins of error than in a car, and you need every advantage you can get.

But I find it irresponsible of you to advocate that people shouldn't wear a helmet, whatever their experience level is. As you said, those with the least amount of experience are the most at risk for buying it on the road, consequently they are the ones who most need to be wearing protective gear. Yet here you are, advocating against that very thing, claiming it is all some giant insurance industry conspiracy:eyes: Give it rest, especially since you wear a helmet yourself.

I wear a full face, and even after long rides, haven't found it to be a strain on my neck. Of couse I've got a neck like a bull, so that probably helps. But I also ride through a rural area, with lots of birds and bugs, and have hit both. I'd much rather I caught a bird or bugs with my helmet than with my bare head.

Sorry, but I find your advocacy of the no helmet position to be foolish and destructive. Tell you what though, I'd be willing to compromise, you want to ride without a helmet, fine, have an insurance policy that covers accidents and long term care for you in a wreck, up to 1 million dollars. That way your wish to be cool won't jack up my rates, or drain my tax money. How's that?

[mrcheerful]

14. No what I push for is safer drivers on the road, I"m sorry you see it that

way, I will stick to my shorties, but I think it should be up to everyone to wear or buckle them selves. BTW, the only reason everything goes up isn't because of helmet use or no helmet, it goes up because insurance companies are price gouging the hell out of us as well as hospitals who charge us with higher cost to treat the uninsured. Put it this way, I don't need big brother keeping me safe.

[MadHound]

16. Well, safe drivers on the road is a noble goal,

But given human nature, an unreachable one. Sure, we can up the percentage and should, but even if everybody was an excellent driver, as your back brake experience testifies, shit does and will happen. That is indeed what protective gear is for, when shit happens, no matter how it happens.

And I do agree, we do get gouged by both the insurance industry and the health industry. However it is also a know fact that those who don't wear helmets are much more likely to receive dehabilitating head and neck injuries, resulting in more long term care, thus driving up my rates, or my taxes if the rider didn't have the rider didn't have insurance.

And my guess is that the only reason you're riding with a helmet right now is because you're required to by law. So apparently you do need "big brother" to keep you safe. Otherwise your next accident, and you've admittedly had a few, could very well be your last.

[mrcheerful]

20. Well you want safe? Stay in your home and stay out of the bathroom.

LOL.

[MadHound]

24. LOL

Yeah but then life gets stale and boring. However I'm a firm believer that whenever I go out to do something potentially dangerous, whether riding or fighting fires, to wear the gear that will maximize your chances of survival, and minimize your risk of injury or death. Anything other than that I consider stupid and foolish.

[mrcheerful]

26. Bu remember the gear means nothing without the training and experince.

[MadHound]

27. Yeah, but the gear helps maximize your odds of living

While you get that training and experience. And there are many times when all the training and experience in the world won't help you, you're going to buy it anyway. So you damn well have the gear on to minimize the damage.

[mrcheerful]

32. There lays the problem I have seen kids that had little to no experince go

out and get daddy to buy them the biggest fastest cycle on the market then try to ride like pro's. Guess where they end up? Regauedless of safety equipement.

[Gormy Cuss]

8. NHTSA definition of a motorcycle

You've raised a good question, but the glossary at that link is defining the ICD E-code for motorcycles (the classification scheme used by the medical institutions treating accident victims)which was needed to understand the cost calculation basis for that specific report. In other words, it's the definition that was used in the outside source data used by NHTSA, not their own agency's definition.

I went hunting for NHTSA's definition and found that theirs is does include mopeds,scooters, 3 wheelers, etc. as a subcategory called motor-driven cycles. A motor-driven cycle is defined as "a motorcycle with a motor that produces 5-brake horsepower or less."

The 2004 Traffic Safety Facts publication shows 4100 motorcycle fatalities. (http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/pdf/nrd-30/NCSA/TSFAnn/TSF2004.pdf)

In Table 36, these fatalities are broken down by motorcycle type:

Motorcycles..................3894
Mopeds.........................48
3 wheelers..................... 9
Offroad (2 wheel)..............81
Other motorized types..........46
Unknown type.................. 22


So motor-driven cycles are the vehicle category in about 5 % of the motorcycle fatalities, but 94.9% of motorcycle fatalities are on bikes that most people would picture as a motorcycle.

[donco6]

11. Riding a motorcycle is like riding on the hood of your car.

If you want to go without a helmet, knock yourself out.

Oops, no pun intended.

[Beelzebud]

15. There will NEVER be perfect safety in the world.

Which is why control freaks piss me off.

[mrcheerful]

18. Thank you !!!!!!!!!!!!!

[MadHound]

19. Yeah, but it always helps to play the odds,

Which is why it's a good thing to wear a helmet.

[mrcheerful]

21. better safety courses and one I highly recommend is the one that

teaches you to launch yourself from the bike when hit head on or you T-bone a car. It will save you from ripping your head off by going through wind Shields and side windows.

[MadHound]

28. Yeah, but that landing on the otherside is pretty damn hard

And it helps to have a helmet on to cushion the blow. Cause you know, not everybody can do a perfect half-pike over the hood of a Hummer.

[mrcheerful]

31. Tuck and roll. They also teach that.