Unfortunately it's not a new phenomenon.  Motorcycle deaths are on the rise. 

And not by just a handful either.  Hundreds, if not thousands more people are dying each year in motorcycle related crashes. 

We've all heard about the middle age guy who believes he can relive his youth by buying a "hog." He probably learned to ride as a young adult, hasn't been on a bike since and believes that old notion, "it's like riding a bike." 

Unfortunately, that is far from the truth. 

Bill Watada, regional administrator, NHTSA, shared some horrifying statistics from 2005 with AAMVA conference attendees this week.  Sixty-one percent of motorcycle operators who died in single-vehicle crashes on weekend nights had BAC levels of .08 or higher.  Thirty-four percent of all motorcyclists involved in fatal crashes were speeding. 

These numbers are significantly higher than passenger car drivers.  I have to wonder if the bikers who practice such reckless behavior do the same thing when they're behind the wheel of a car.  The fact that nearly 25% of bikers involved in fatal crashes did not have a valid license seems to verify that some do not understand the seriousness of motorcycle safety. 

How many riders do you see on any given day who are not wearing a helmet?  We call those folks "organ donors" where I come from. 

NHTSA is working to develop a National Agenda for Motorcycle Safety in an attempt to combat the frightening increase in crashes and deaths.  In the interim, there are numerous things that both the DMV and law enforcement community can do to help.  But it seems to me that we, the common man, should also make an effort to make sure we're not on the receiving end of a phone call telling us that a loved one has been killed in a motorcycle crash. 

Let's encourage our biker friends and family to take a rider safety course, to wear a helmet, to never drink and drive and to use common sense when on a bike.

Sheila Prior
Vice President, AAMVA Region IV
sprior@aamva.org