New Data On Injuries To Older Motorcycle Riders
May is Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month. As the weather warms up, the sun begins to stay up longer each day and the Earth begins to turn green, Tennessee motorcycle riders take to the highways and byways to feel the wind on their faces. Unfortunately, with the influx of riders taking to the road, there will be motorcycle accidents, and that’s what I’d like to talk about in my Blog today.
Motorcycle accidents are among the most devastating traffic accidents. They often result in very serious injuries and may wreak havoc on your or your family’s finances and personal lives. Motorcycle accidents often lead to enormous medical expenses, loss of employment or future earning power, and severe pain and suffering for those involved.
CAR DRIVER NEGLIGENCE: A PRIMARY CAUSE OF MOTORCYCLE ACCIDENTS
While motorcycle accidents can be the fault of the motorcycle driver, they are more often the result of negligent automobile drivers, despite misconceptions to the contrary. Accidents often occur because automobile drivers are not alert to the presence of motorcyclists sharing the road, not because of reckless driving on the part of the motorcyclists. Unfortunately, it is often the motorcyclists who suffer the worst of the injuries in an accident.
According to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), more than 50 percent of motorcycle accidents resulting in death involve another vehicle, and 42 percent of two-vehicle fatal motorcycle crashes involved a vehicle turning left while the motorcycle was going straight, passing, or overtaking the vehicle.
This past week I read reports of three fatal motorcycle accidents in the Nashville, Middle Tennessee area, not one of these accidents was caused by the motorcyclist. One terrible death occurred because of a road hazard, a large pothole in the middle of the lane on Briley Parkway in Nashville, and a second was caused by the negligence of an elderly automobile driver who has been charged with reckless homicide. The third involved a distracted driver who was texting crossed the centerline.
The Numbers
NHTSA data show that in 2012, 56.0 percent of motorcyclists killed in crashes were age 40 or over, compared with 46.0 percent in 2003. The number of motorcyclists age 40 and over killed in crashes increased by 63 percent from 2003 to 2012. In contrast, fatalities among young motorcyclists have declined, relative to other age groups. In 2012 fatalities in the under 30-year-old group dropped to 25.9 percent from 31.7 percent in 2003. Fatalities among motorcyclists in the 30-to 39-year-old group fell to 18.3 percent in 2012 from 22.6 percent in 2003. NHTSA says that the average age of motorcycle riders killed in crashes was 43 in 2012, compared with 38 in 2003.
As experienced Tennessee motorcycle accident attorneys, my staff and I are constantly reviewing research on motorcycle accidents. A couple of studies stood out and I would like to address what might well be an emerging medical and public health concern: the rise in serious injuries for older motorcycle riders.
Yearly studies by the Insurance Information Institute, show that older motorcycle riders account for more than half of all motorcyclist fatalities. Using reports from emergency departments across the nation researchers from Brown University, Providence, R.I., determined that 1.5 million motorcycle riders, mostly male (85%), were injured between 2001 and 2008. The majority of the injuries were to riders between the ages of 20-39. As reported in USA Today, the findings showed that the injury rate increased rapidly in riders aged 40 to 50 and especially those over the age of 60, were more than likely to sustain more serious injuries.
The study used hospital data on riders age 20 and over that needed emergency medical care following motorcycle crashes from 2001 to 2008. The riders were put in three groups by age: 20 to 39, 40 to 59, and 60 and over. The data showed that while injury rates were rising for all age groups, the steepest rise occurred in the 60 and over group, who were two and a half times more likely to have serious injuries than the youngest group. They were three times more likely to be admitted to the hospital. The middle and older motorcycle riders were also more likely to sustain fractures, dislocations and other injuries, such as brain trauma, than the youngest group.
These findings are consistent with findings and clinical observations at the Trauma Program at the University of Rochester Medical Center developed over the last five years. Using data from the National Trauma Databank the researchers determined that the average age of motorcycle riders involved in crashes steadily increased over the course of the study period, which is consistent with statistics from the Motorcycle Industry Council showing the average age of motorcycle ownership rose from 33 to 40 between 1998 and 2003.
The URMC study found that for riders over the age of 40, the severity of injury, length of stay in the hospital or intensive care unit, and mortality were all higher compared with younger riders. Depending on the severity of the original injury, the risk of dying was also one-and-a-half to two times more likely in those over 40.
The older motorcycle riders were also more likely to die from less severe injuries than younger riders, to spend at least 24 hours in the intensive care unit, and to have more pre-existing conditions and complications, such as heart attack or infection, that contribute to extended hospital stays. Researchers from both studies believe that age-related changes such as decreases in bone strength and brain size might make older motorcycle riders more susceptible to serious injury.
In both studies, researchers opined that age-related changes caused these accidents in the first place. After careful review of the findings I find no data to support these opinions and I wish they wouldn’t try to blame the victim without specific data.
A solution to this and all motorcycle accidents is education. Education is a definite must for riders, and most importantly, education for the drivers of other vehicles who share the road with motorcycles.
Look Twice Save A Life
