The Los Angeles Times has recently reported about the first major study on California motorcycle accidents in 30 years which is underway in Los Angeles. The study is apparently trying to make sense of the recent surge in motorcycle accidents especially in Southern California where year-round good weather encourages motorcyclists to ride more often. Researchers, through this study, will attempt to pinpoint why motorcycle accident deaths have soared over the last 10 years to constitute 14 percent of all traffic accident deaths in spite of the fact that motorcycles account only for 1 percent of vehicle miles traveled.
Sharp Increase in Motorcycle Accidents
The high cost of gas and more baby boomers taking to motorcycle riding has resulted in a dramatic increase in the number of motorcycles on the road. That number in fact increased from 3.9 million in 1998 to 7.1 million in 2007. The last such study was conducted by the University of Southern California and released in 1981. No such study has been done after that due to funding issues.
Motorcycle accident fatalities are reaching a record high in Los Angeles County, according to a recent news report in the Pasadena Star News. Motorcycle accidents, just like car accidents in California, result in serious and debilitating personal injury. California Highway Patrol officials say 96 people died in motorcycle collisions in 2008 in Los Angeles County compared to 58 deaths in 2001. In 2007, 85 people died in motorcycle accidents. Statewide, the number of people who are taking to riding motorcycles has increased dramatically over the last five years. About 1.2 million Californians have licenses to drive motorcycles, according to the Department of Motor Vehicles. That is 300,000 more riders than in 2001.
Motorcycle Accident Causes
There are about 100,000 motorcycle crashes in the U.S. each year, 5,290 of which resulted in death in 2008, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. According to the Motorcycle Safety Foundation, which draws heavily on findings from the 1981 Hurt study, major crash factors include rider error, over-braking and use of alcohol or drugs.
As California personal injury lawyers, we observe that a number of motorcycle accidents also occur because other motorists do not consciously look for motorcycles on the roadway, especially at intersections. Negligence and poor driving on the part of other motorists causes a number of motorcycle accidents. It will certainly be interesting to see the results of this study. I hope it provides our local city officials and law enforcement with useful tools to curb the increasingly deadly motorcycle accidents.
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