Federal Government To Study Motorcycle Crash Causation

I am going to go ahead and predict that the results of the new study will be very similar. Motorcycle technology has changed since the 80's, but people have not. I think the Feds should take the 2.8 million dollars they will spend on the the study, give it and more to the state motorcycle programs that are already in place, and just make motorcycle training mandatory. Motorcycle training has proven to reduce motorcycle fatalities. The military motorcycle safety project that I am involved in right now was able to reduce motorcycle fatalities in the Navy by 61% in just over one year. This was a result of making motorcycle courses mandatory for military personnel who own and ride them for recreation.
Don't get me wrong, I am really happy that motorcyclists are getting attention form the government, but it is no secret that training/education and proper protective gear is very very effective in reducing motorcycle related fatalities.

From a press release issued by the U.S. Department of Transportation...

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The Federal Highway Administration will conduct an ambitious new study to better understand and prevent motorcycle crashes, Administrator Victor Mendez announced today.

Despite years of steadily improving highway safety and roadway fatalities at historic lows, motorcycle riders remain one of the highest-risk groups on America's roads. Nearly 5,300 motorcycle riders died in roadway crashes in 2008, accounting for 14 percent of all traffic fatalities, and 96,000 were injured.

"Having a better understanding of what causes these crashes will help us improve roadway safety for everyone," said Administrator Mendez. "Keeping people safe on America's roads is Secretary LaHood's top priority at the Department of Transportation."

The motorcycle crash causation study will be the federal government's first major in-depth analysis of motorcycle safety in nearly three decades. A provision in the "Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users" (SAFETEA-LU) requires the study, which will be conducted by the FHWA in partnership with the Oklahoma State University.

The university's Oklahoma Transportation Center is one of the U.S. Department of Transportation's 10 National University Transportation Centers, and it receives federal grants to conduct transportation research.

"OSU is delighted to be the lead research institution for this important study," said Dr. Alan Tree, associate dean for research in OSU's College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology. "We expect very significant, scientifically valid results to emerge from this work and look forward to a very positive final outcome."

Researchers will evaluate data from hundreds of motorcycle crashes to help identify common factors - including road configurations, environmental conditions and rider experience. The study's focus is to look at how these factors may be affected by countermeasures that, if effectively implemented, will prevent motorcycle crashes or lessen the harm when they occur.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration conducted a pilot study to develop the protocols for the full-scale causation research. NHTSA also was responsible for the earlier motorcycle causation study, which was completed in 1981.

Between 1997 and 2008, motorcycle rider fatalities increased from 2,116 to 5,290 -- a 150 percent jump, according to U.S. Department of Transportation's Fatality Analysis Reporting