This May, we pay respect to our Powersport industry’s safety stats, taking time to look at where our community is at in the modernizing of road laws, safety gear, and machine tech. It’s a process that’s just as important as swinging a leg over; in a way, until everyone is safe on the road, nobody is.
(Cue “We’re All In This Together” by Matthew Gerrard and Robbie Nevil.)
A view of motorcyclists in our good industry. Media sourced from the NHSTA’s archives.The concept is slightly taboo if, like me, you’re from a non-motorcycling family that sees nothing but the stats:
- An 8% increase in fatalities among motorcyclists from 2020 to 2021, with 5,932 riders/passengers affected (via InjuryFacts.ncs).
- Motorcycles make up only 3% of registered vehicles in the U.S., yet we were in “14% of all traffic fatalities, 17% of all occupant fatalities, and 3% of all occupant injuries in 2021.”
The numbers might seem a bit much – and while the past ten years show a whopping 29% increase in mortality rates, keep in mind – we’ve also seen more riders than ever before, too.
Between 2002 and 2021, the amount of registered on-road motorcycles spiked from 4.3 million units to 8.6 million (via the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety). Included in the above number is 46th president Joe Biden, a fellow rider and ‘Busa boy who officially recognized May as Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month yesterday.
A view of motorcyclists in our good industry. Media sourced from the NHSTA’s archives.“[the president implored] all drivers and riders alike to share the road safely through various means, from personal protective gear for motorcyclists to drivers making sure that they’re aware of motorbikes operating in the immediate vicinity,” states the report from RideApart.
“We thank President Biden, Secretary Pete Buttigieg, and the Department of Transportation for helping to raise awareness of motorcyclists and motorcycle safety,” adds MSF president and CEO Erik Pritchard.
“On behalf of motorcyclists across the country, we are grateful for the funding contained in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to modernize the highways, roads, and bridges. The Motorcycle Safety Foundation has worked closely with the Department of Transportation and the Biden administration to bring issues facing motorcyclists to the forefront.”
“This administration has placed a priority on reducing highway deaths and on educating the motoring public, and we appreciate that this presidential recognition is one of many ways they are working to accomplish that goal.”
A reminder from the team here at WBW that we believe 100% in ATTGATT – All The Gear, All The Time.
Ride hard or go home, but do it in leathers designed to keep your pretty self intact, yeah?