OLDER MOTORCYCLISTS MAY BE IN MORE DANGER

People often think of young riders racing bikes when thinking about people who are in danger of being killed in motorcycle accidents. While this assumption makes sense on some levels — considering the inexperience of the riders, for example, or the raw power of the bikes — the stats show just the opposite.

For example, the 2013 data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration shows that 55 percent of those who died in motorcycle accidents were over 40. The stats also show that this age is trending up. In 2004, just 46 percent of the riders who died were over 40, while 54 percent were at least in their 30s.

The overall numbers have also been increasing. Between 2004 and 2013, the total number of bikers who passed away in accidents who were at least 40 years old went up by a staggering 39 percent. Fatalities were also up for motorcyclists overall, but just by 16 percent. Clearly, older riders were in far more danger in this study.

When looking at the average ages of riders who die in crashes, one can see that the average in 2004 was 38. By 2013, it had jumped up four years, all the way to 42.

There could be many reasons for this trend, such as a potential change in the age group that tends to ride the most or the fact that older riders may be killed by injuries that an 18-year-old rider would live through. Regardless of the reasons, though, it clearly show that the 40-and-over age group is a high risk group, and the families of those who are killed in Pennsylvania may want to know how to seek financial compensation if they are involved in a crash where someone else was at fault.

Source: Insurance Information Institute, “Motorcycle Crashes,” accessed July 15, 2016