Analysis of Motorcycle Crashes in Texas, 2010–2017

[SupraSabre]

In defense of some of the auto's that pull out in front of a speeding motorcycle, when pulling out onto a 40 mph road you judge the gaps by the expected speed of approaching vehicles. When looking from the side street you see a headlight half a mile away and you expect it to be traveling at or near the speed limit (40-50) and in reality it closes the gap in less then half the time because it is going 100 mph, that is not the cages drivers fault.

As motorcycle riders we need to be responsible for our own actions. Traveling excessively above the posted limit is a choice you make knowing what the consequences could be.

First off, MOST motorcycle headlights are a JOKE!

I ride A LOT! When doing the speed limit (not all motorcyclists are speeding!) or even 5 over in a 50, I see cages pulling out from the right or across in front of me, all the time. What I do find is that when my headlight modulator is on, the number of "close calls" (misjudgment of the cage driver) is reduced down by a large amount. Some still pull out in front of me, but most of those are too busy with their cellphones and wouldn't see a tractor-trailer bearing down on them! Which means you don't rely on your headlight to make drivers aware of you.

This is why I will usually run my modulators on my bikes on non-freeways, without trying to irritate the person directly in front of me.

 

[SMSW]

In 14 years of police work I would say that 95% of all sport bike crashes are the rider's fault(100% of all of the sport bike fatalities I've seen). And less than 20% of all non sport bike crashes were the rider's fault. I can post stats too

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

So where does that leave us? The sport touring crowd? (Maybe the crash was somebody's fault?)

 

[st11ray]

I believe the statistics would vary when comparing motorcycles using Moly 60 vs. motorcycles using Moly paste.
There's only one Moly that's suitable for shaft driven motorcycles.
And that is Moly 60.
Now, go out and ride.

But what if they are using synthetic 75w90 final drive oil?

 

[dwalby]

If it's not dino then it's snake oil.

I've read that snake oil causes clutch slippage, any truth to that rumor?

 

[ST Gui]

When looking from the side street you see a headlight half a mile away and you expect it to be traveling at or near the speed limit (40-50) and in reality it closes the gap in less then half the time because it is going 100 mph, that is not the cages drivers fault.

I'd say that varies by circumstance. It's a given that it's every driver's/rider's responsibility to make responsible judgement calls.

Look down the road with a 40mph speed limit (posted/prima facie/whatever) and see a bend with no traffic and make your move. Then you're T-boned by another vehicle that was doing 80mph. You exercised due care and caution.

Look down a road with a half-mile line of sight in either direction. You see a headlight a half mile away and pay no attention to its speed? You see the light a half-mail away and assume you can move safely into it's path? I'd say in that example the other vehicle's speed is not the primary collision factor. The PFC is pulling out in front of it.

 

[dwalby]

Whereas pit viper and constrictor snakes will indeed cause clutch slippage,

Hmmm, that's very counter-intuitive, given that they're known for their powerful grip, I would think constrictors would improve clutch performance rather than degrade it.

 

[SupraSabre]

That's what you get for using snake oil instead of synthetic!

 

[Daboo]

I look at the motorcycle safety statistics and frankly only give them a passing glance. When I was younger, I used to go mountain climbing. Some would say that's a pretty hazardous sport. Well, it is. But you prepare and train for it. And that lessens the probabilities of an accident. I'd put motorcycling into the same category.

As for the situation where a car pulls out in front of a motorcycle traveling at an extremely high rate of speed, IMHO, it is the motorcyclist's fault and I have no sympathy for him. Just sympathy for his family and loved ones he leaves behind.

I still remember reading about a young rider on a sport bike getting killed in that manner near Puyallup. (We can tell if you're a local, if you can pronounce that correctly! ) Estimates are that he was doing about 140 mph when his motorcycle entered through the side of the station wagon, killing all inside. He flew over the top of the car and landed hundreds of feet away. Dead on impact.

I count situations like that as different from simply traveling down a street, minding the traffic laws and having someone pull out from the side and hit you.

Chris

 

[SupraSabre]

I look at the motorcycle safety statistics and frankly only give them a passing glance. When I was younger, I used to go mountain climbing. Some would say that's a pretty hazardous sport. Well, it is. But you prepare and train for it. And that lessens the probabilities of an accident. I'd put motorcycling into the same category.

As for the situation where a car pulls out in front of a motorcycle traveling at an extremely high rate of speed, IMHO, it is the motorcyclist's fault and I have no sympathy for him. Just sympathy for his family and loved ones he leaves behind.

I still remember reading about a young rider on a sport bike getting killed in that manner near Puyallup. (We can tell if you're a local, if you can pronounce that correctly! ) Estimates are that he was doing about 140 mph when his motorcycle entered through the side of the station wagon, killing all inside. He flew over the top of the car and landed hundreds of feet away. Dead on impact.

I count situations like that as different from simply traveling down a street, minding the traffic laws and having someone pull out from the side and hit you.

Chris

Agreed!

Lumping ALL motorcycle accidents into one big lump really does a dis-service to those that ride their bikes "responsibly". Yes, there are MANY that get on a bike and have to have it full throttle to be able to enjoy it. That's what the track is for.

Everyday in my commute, I have other riders come up behind me when we are lane splitting, that I just shake my head at. They will come up and immediately start revving their engines (with loud pipes of course), for you to "GET OUT OF THEIR WAY", which I will not pull over until I have a "Safe Place" to do so, so sometimes they will have to follow me for a 1/4 of a mile or more. But those are the ones that everyone thinks about when it comes to lane splitting. Those that are going WAY TOO FAST and then become a statistic. Not those riders (like me - most of the time, anyway) that take their time through traffic so if someone bolts to another lane RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU, you have time to react and slow.