Motorcycle Theology, Part 2

In Part 1 of "Motorcycle Theology" I presented a few of my reasons for buying a motorcycle. In Part 2 I want to look at some statistics regarding motorcycle safety in order to establish a basis for the theological implications which will be presented in part 3.

Most of us have heard a million times from our mothers: "motorcycles are dangerous". But are they really THAT much more dangerous than a car? Before simply assuming that they are unsafe I want to look into some crash statistics:

• 30% of the bikers killed in 2008 were legally intoxicated - compared to 36% of those killed in automobile accidents.
• In 2007, 36% of all bikers involved in fatal crashes were speeding, compared with 24% of passenger car drivers.
• Helmets are estimated, by The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to be 37% effective in preventing fatal injuries to motorcycle riders and 41% for motorcycle passengers.
• Motorcycles are more likely to be involved in a fatal accident with a fixed object than another vehicle
• In 2008, 2,554 (47%) of all motorcycles involved in fatal crashes collided with another type of moving vehicle.
• Per vehicle mile traveled, bikers are about 37 times more likely than passenger car occupants to die in a crash and 9 times more likely to be injured.
• Per registered vehicle, the fatality rate for bikers in 2006 was 5.5 times the fatality rate for passenger car occupants.
• In 2008, motorcycle riders accounted for 14% of total traffic fatalities, 17% of all occupant fatalities, and 4% of all occupants injured.

The complete list of these motorcycle statistics can be found here.

Let's use the more conservative statistic that riding a motorcycle is 37 times more likely to kill a rider and 9 times more likely to injure a rider than a car.

• Alcohol involvement is a wash because it's nearly the same for motorcycle and car crashes.
• Too bad that speeding is also nearly a wash - I have no intentions of popping wheelies and driving 87 in a 35
• Assuming that I would always wear a helmet (also a very very safe assumption) the fatality rate drops 37% to 23.3/9

We could keep going through things to keep you safe on a bike, (e.g. 25% of those involved in accidents didn't even have their license) and these numbers would keep slightly shrinking. Alternatively, statistics per registered vehicle show that the fatality rate of riding a motorcycle is only 5.5 times higher than that of a car.

However, it is pretty clear that riding a motorcycle is NOT nearly as safe as driving a car, which isn't quite as safe as an airplane, which isn't quite as safe as sitting in your livingroom all day.

Now that we finally have some groundwork, in Part 3, I will actually get into some theological discussion. in Part 3, I want to look at our responsibilities to not be careless with our safety.