DataDan
Mama says he's bona fide
Everyone talks about motorcycle safety stats, but few people know where to find the latest ones and even fewer have the time or interest to figure out exactly what they mean.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), part of US DOT, collects a lot of data about fatal motor vehicle crashes and publishes it annually. Some motorcycle-specific information can be found in the Motorcycle Fact Sheet (750K PDF), more is scattered in the 200-page Traffic Safety Facts Annual Report (1.5MB PDF), and much more sits as raw data in the FARS database (Fatality Analysis Reporting System), of not much use to anyone until it’s compiled into meaningful form. Unfortunately, the motorcycle stats aren’t collected in a single reference, which would be a convenient resource for those interested in the current state of motorcycle safety but who don’t have the time to spend gathering it from multiple sources. Not to mention the value in settling forum arguments.
For several years I’ve collected motorcycle data from NHTSA and other sources and maintained it in tables and charts, mainly for my own interest but also posted on forums occasionally. The 2006 data is now available (though not absolutely final), and I have begun gathering up the bits I’m interested in. Time permitting, I’m going to post some of the data I get and my interpretations in this thread. I’m sure there will a lot of other interpretations and opinions as well.
Here are some of the topics I have in mind. Please post your suggestions, and I'll try to dig something up if it's available.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), part of US DOT, collects a lot of data about fatal motor vehicle crashes and publishes it annually. Some motorcycle-specific information can be found in the Motorcycle Fact Sheet (750K PDF), more is scattered in the 200-page Traffic Safety Facts Annual Report (1.5MB PDF), and much more sits as raw data in the FARS database (Fatality Analysis Reporting System), of not much use to anyone until it’s compiled into meaningful form. Unfortunately, the motorcycle stats aren’t collected in a single reference, which would be a convenient resource for those interested in the current state of motorcycle safety but who don’t have the time to spend gathering it from multiple sources. Not to mention the value in settling forum arguments.
For several years I’ve collected motorcycle data from NHTSA and other sources and maintained it in tables and charts, mainly for my own interest but also posted on forums occasionally. The 2006 data is now available (though not absolutely final), and I have begun gathering up the bits I’m interested in. Time permitting, I’m going to post some of the data I get and my interpretations in this thread. I’m sure there will a lot of other interpretations and opinions as well.
Here are some of the topics I have in mind. Please post your suggestions, and I'll try to dig something up if it's available.
- fatality rate per registered motorcycle over the past 30 years
- single- and multiple-vehicle crashes
- the role of SUVs and other light trucks
- deaths by age and sex
- alcohol-involved fatal crashes
- fatal crash involvement by motorcycle manufacturer
- helmet use in fatal crashes and the effect of helmet law
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