Danger on Two Wheels as Motorcycle Deaths Rise Sunday, May 04, 2008 (21:04:04) Posted by editor Motorcycle crashes have taken the lives of 27 riders over the past three years, a tripling of the death rate on Sonoma County roads. April was the deadliest month in six years of record-keeping for motorcycle fatalities, with three men killed while speeding or under the influence, according to the CHP. "This is one of the most picturesque riding areas in the world. The roads are beautiful and they challenge you," CHP Capt. Kelly Young said. "But that challenge can lead to death." The upsurge has been dramatic, with 27 riders killed in the past three years, compared with nine in the previous three-year period. The most common factors are speeding, drinking and careless driving on country roads, especially on weekends. Many of those who died were men over age 40, according to an analysis of accident data provided by the CHP. Armed with this information, CHP Officer Barbara Upham is taking a safety message to places where middle-aged men might find it: Bike shops, philanthropy clubs, business organizations and wineries. "We have a consistent and persistent effort to enforce speed and DUI laws," she said. "But to minimize the likelihood that (motorcyclists) are injured or get killed, we're talking to the age group that's most affected." In coming weeks, posters and pamphlets highlighting the risks of speeding and drinking and driving, particularly for motorcyclists, will be delivered to these locations, and Upham also is scheduling talks to reach 40-something recreational motorcyclists. That older riders are more likely to be involved in a fatal collision doesn't surprise Jamie McCullough, owner of Northbay Motorsports. "There's more older people that are riding and that is increasing every year," he said. "And mostly they are inexperienced riders that are buying a bike that they probably should take a course and get some training for." McCullough said he provides motorcycle training class information to riders who look like they might benefit from taking a class. But instructors running those classes say attendance, particularly for new or returning riders, is down. At Santa Rosa Motorcycle Training, those enrolling in classes tend to be more experienced riders, said owner and instructor Jamie Hernandez. "A few years ago, it was a lot of new riders," he said. "People who refinanced their house and got a bike and wanted to be safe. Now it's a lot of people who are out every weekend anyway and people who are part of motorcycle clubs." Statistics on motorcycle ownership show moderate growth in registration and, presumably, new ridership, according to DMV statistics. In 2004, there were 13,750 registered motorcycles in Sonoma County. In 2007, there were 15,973, according to the DMV. That's a 16 percent increase in a time period when deaths tripled. Ron Magill, shop foreman at Michael's Harley Davidson shop in Cotati, said the issue is seasonal and older riders whose skills - and bikes - may be rustier are more at risk when they run into problems on the road. "You can tell that there are more people who are not used to riding out there," he said. "Usually it results in some dissatisfaction. A broken bike, or they fall down or have an incident with another driver." Magill said he's seeing more riders who seem to be riding without boots, gloves, or leather jackets. And when bikes are brought into the shop for accident repairs, they often have balding tires or older parts. "I tend to see a lot of guys that rode dirt bikes as kids, and now their kids are off to college and they are set on a motorcycle," he said. "But the world has changed dramatically since then. They're going to get in a situation where they slam on their brakes and slide or just freeze up, and both are dangerous." On CHP-patrolled roads, 88 percent of the deaths occurred on rural roads, while only two happened on Highway 101. Figures do not include accidents in cities, which are patrolled by police and sheriff's departments. CHP officials said they are trying to unravel the causes for the crashes. "There are so many levels to it," Upham said. "We have not found a trend other than that they mostly were driving too fast." While Upham said inexperience may be a contributing factor to the threefold increase in motorcycle fatalities, pinning down a pattern of inexperience or anything else is difficult. "Independent of asking each of them specifically, we can't really know what happened," Upham said of the deaths. "What we do know for sure, what is reasonable to say, is speed and DUI are the overwhelming trends." Source: The Press Democrat Content received from: American Biker News, http://americanbikernews.com