News Flash: Danger On Two Wheels
Monday, October 13th, 2025
Coming down past the Flaming Gorge.
I ran across an article with a catchy, poetic/symbolic header: Street, motorcycle: a motorcyclist is 70 times more likely to die than a motorist and science says so.
OK, that’s the sort of thing to catch your attention. I had to read it.
It’s not an anti-motorcycle piece; the writer acknowledges all the issues we who ride are intimately familiar with. It just lays out the statistics from the study, which was done at Northwestern University. (A chuckle: the piece is British and the writer mistakenly refers to the school as the University of Northwestern.) Although it does use some wording that you and I might take issue with. I’ll quote part of the article.
Parents have always told their children that motorcycles are dangerous. And for once, statistics prove them right. A large study conducted by the University of Northwestern in the United States has just demonstrated it: driving a motorcycle is 29 times riskier than driving a car, for the same distance traveled.
Also:
The study drew on 1,6 billion kilometers traveled to estimate the risks associated with each mode of transport. The verdict is clear: motorcycles cause 212 deaths, dwarfing all other modes of transport. Bicycles come in a distant second (44,6 deaths), followed by cars (7,28). In contrast, airplanes only have 0,07 deaths – 3,000 times safer!
That last one is one of those points where we would question the wording. I mean, “motorcycles cause 212 deaths.” No, I’m sorry, the motorcycles don’t cause those deaths. In fact, usually, it is the total opposite–the deaths are caused by drivers of other vehicles. This is where an editor was needed to revise that statement to something along the lines of “212 motorcyclists died.”
Discussing the study, the writer noted, “Far from wanting to demonize motorcycles, this study puts things into perspective. Motorcycle riding isn’t a crime; it’s a choice. But a choice that requires rigor, humility, and lucidity.” He then added that training and awareness of the risks is all important. I don’t think any of us would contest that.
So where does that leave us? Oh, pretty much where we were. We know we take risks and apparently we’re OK with that. Next.
Biker Quote for Today
Getting a motorcycle right after my divorce didn’t make me a walking cliché. It made me a much faster cliché.
