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Crash stats...

1K views 7 replies 8 participants last post by  AngryHatter 
#1 ·
I have signed up for the BRC (next weekend, yay!), and have been really trying to get a sense for motorcycle safety. I want to be as realistic as possible, so I've checked out crash videos, photos, stories, and what stats I could find. I've read the Hurt report findings.

I came across this one page: http://www.motorcycle-accidents.com/pages/stats.html which is clearly a lawyer's advertisement page, but the interpretations of the crash statistics were interesting.

One interpretation definitely caught my attention:
22. T he motorcycle riders involved in accidents are essentially without training; 92% were self-taught or learned from family or friends. Motorcycle rider training experience reduces accident involvement and is related to reduced injuries in the event of accidents.
Can this really be right, or are they misinterpreting the data? Does taking a training course really reduce your chances of wrecking by 92%? That's great, and I want it to be true, but it sounds high to me.

If the statistic really is this high, I'm a little surprised that motorcycle training isn't a legal licensing requirement everywhere...

Wonko
 
#2 ·
It's most likely correlative and not causal.

Think about it. If you're wise, cautious and think things through, you'll take the course. On the same token, you'll likely be a more cautious rider and will be wary of oblivious cagers trying to kill you. You're probably more likely to wear gear, too.

If you think you don't need the training and can teach yourself then you're the oblivious one.

Stupid is as stupid does. Accidents do happen but they're more likely to happen to the unprepared and unwise.
 
#3 ·
I have riden for a total of 22 years with a long lay off. I am signed up for the basic course, and will also take the advanced rider in a couple of months. The way I figure, is that training is an added insurance policy to keep you out of crashes. I know I won't ever be able to learn too much.
Ride safe, and have fun.
 
#4 ·
Be careful of "statistics". As that great Missourian and America's greatest author, Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain) once said: "There are lies, ****ed lies, and statistics."

You don't know that 94% of all riders aren't self taught or taught by family or friends. If that were the case it would prove that rider training courses have no benefit.
 
#5 ·
It's also possible that only 8% of all riders take the MSF or equivalent course.

So 8% take it, 92% don't.

Out of all riders that crash, 92% haven't taken the MSF.

Just a theory on how the argument might be slanted.

By no means am I diminishing the MSF or suggesting it's a waste... I fully support and believe in the MSF and similar programs.
But it is possible that the lawyer's site is slanting things a tad.
 
#6 ·
1. Approximately three-fourths of these motorcycle accidents involved collision with another vehicle, which was most usually a passenger automobile.

2. Approximately one-fourth of these motorcycle accidents were single vehicle accidents involving the motorcycle colliding with the roadway or some fixed object in the environment.


I would have guessed those stats were reversed.
 
#8 ·
I have signed up for the BRC (next weekend, yay!), and have been really trying to get a sense for motorcycle safety. I want to be as realistic as possible, so I've checked out crash videos, photos, stories, and what stats I could find. I've read the Hurt report findings.

I came across this one page: http://www.motorcycle-accidents.com/pages/stats.html which is clearly a lawyer's advertisement page, but the interpretations of the crash statistics were interesting.

One interpretation definitely caught my attention:


Can this really be right, or are they misinterpreting the data? Does taking a training course really reduce your chances of wrecking by 92%? That's great, and I want it to be true, but it sounds high to me.

If the statistic really is this high, I'm a little surprised that motorcycle training isn't a legal licensing requirement everywhere...

Wonko
You interpreted the data incorrectly.
It does not reduce your chance of a crash by 92%.

It just assigns groups to those who HAVE crashed.
If you do, you'll be in the 8%.

It says nothing about causation.
There is a correlation between better training and lessening the chances of a crash.
 
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