One Major Factor of Motorcycle Fatalities in Georgia in 2017

Last week, the Governor’s Highway Safety Association’s annual reported the numbers for motorcycle fatalities for 2017. The good news is there was a marked decrease in the number of motorcycle fatalities in comparison to 2016, with the decrease being 5.6%. Let our Alpharetta motorcycle accident law firm explain.

What Do These Statistics Suggest?

What I found interesting is one of the three highlights of factors leading to fatalities in 2017 was the increase in the average age of the fatalities involved with motorcycle accidents.

The average age rose to 43, and what this study was highlighting was the aging population of motorcycle riders.

What this study discussed was that a lot of baby boomers are getting back into motorcycle riding after not riding for decades.

This brings awareness issue for safety, for all of us, even younger riders that have been riding consistently for years.

The two big factors included a lack of training when these folks are coming back to motorcycle riding. They’re just getting their licenses; they’re not getting up to speed on training how to ride the bike again, getting through that endorsement part of motorcycle riding.

What Was The Second Factor In This Study?

The number two factor was that these folks are buying inappropriate bikes for their age and skill level.

They’re getting bigger bikes for their age, and the abilities these bikes require are not what these older bikers have. In short, they’re not buying the appropriate bike for them given their skill level, given their age, given their strength and abilities.

What Can We Learn From This Study?

No matter our age, bikers need to get training, get retrained from time to time, and they need to make sure when they’re buying a new bike that they get a bike that fits their skill level and strength.

You don’t want to go and buy too large of a bike for what you can handle; it won’t be safe.

Now, what it also showed in this age issue was for 2016, similar again for 2017, was in 36% of all motorcycle fatalities, the rider was 50 or older.

If you’re 50 or older, you need to realize you’re at higher risk. Again, a lot of this is because of the training and the type of bike that you have.

Be careful out there and think about these issues. Even if you’re under 50, think about those issues, and be safe.

If you have any particular questions or concerns, feel free to respond, comment below on this video or shoot me an email.