The National Safety Commission Alerts
Safety is No Accident
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Four Great Biker Stocking Stuffers for Under $20
Bikers can be a difficult bunch to buy for. They are quite particular about their farkles and gear. The following items were selected for universal usefulness and appeal, regardless of the type of rider. You'll find each piece of safety gear to be under $20.00 and provide piece of mind to the biker on the road.
1. ARES SO-LED FLASHLIGHT: A very handy clip-on LED flashlight that goes anywhere. Available from http://countycom.com; $4.00.
2. AIRCRAFT MECHANIC's KEYRING: Made of stainless aviation cable and brass fittings, these are great for keeping small tools, keys, etc. organized. Available in 6 or 12-inch lengths from http://countycom.com. 6-inch, $1.40; 12-inch, $2.15.
3. HELMET HALO: Your favorite biker may not be an angel, but that doesn't mean he or she doesn't deserve a Halo. This neoprene rubber band is treated with Scotchbrite reflective material and is visible from all angles. Available from http://ridesafer.com; $12.21. One size fits all.
4. GLO GLOVES: The Reflexite material on these gloves is super-bright. Note: The Spandex "over-gloves" are intended to be worn over your regular riding gloves. Available from http://www.glogloves.com; $19.95/pair. One size fits all.
Useful Biker Gifts under $20.00
1. ARES SO-LED FLASHLIGHT: A very handy clip-on LED flashlight that goes anywhere. Available from http://countycom.com; $4.00.
2. AIRCRAFT MECHANIC's KEYRING: Made of stainless aviation cable and brass fittings, these are great for keeping small tools, keys, etc. organized. Available in 6 or 12-inch lengths from http://countycom.com. 6-inch, $1.40; 12-inch, $2.15.
3. HELMET HALO: Your favorite biker may not be an angel, but that doesn't mean he or she doesn't deserve a Halo. This neoprene rubber band is treated with Scotchbrite reflective material and is visible from all angles. Available from http://ridesafer.com; $12.21. One size fits all.
4. GLO GLOVES: The Reflexite material on these gloves is super-bright. Note: The Spandex "over-gloves" are intended to be worn over your regular riding gloves. Available from http://www.glogloves.com; $19.95/pair. One size fits all.
Labels: motorcycle, motorcycle rider safety, motorcycle safety, safety equipment
Friday, April 24, 2009
Why You Should Take a Motorcycle Safety Course
Motorcycle ridership has increased tremendously over the past ten years and with that increase in ridership, there has been a remarkable increase in motorcycle fatalities. While the fatality rate of motor vehicle occupants has gone down, motorcycle fatalities have more than doubled since 1997. According to the federal government, per mile traveled in 2006, the number of deaths on motorcycles was about 35 times the number in cars. To understand what is happening, we need to look at some motorcycle statistics.
While it is true that most motorcycle fatalities involve collisions with motor vehicles, those types of crashes make up just a little over half of the total motorcycle fatality rate. Almost half of the motorcycle fatalities were the result of single vehicle crashes.
In multi-vehicle crashes the motorcyclist was hit in the front 78% of the time and they were struck in the rear only 5% of the time.
An Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) study showed that the majority of fatal multiple vehicle crashes were head-on crashes in which the motor vehicle was either running a traffic control device or turning left in front of the other vehicle. However, it also showed that the motorcyclist was often either speeding or not in the proper lane.
Twenty-five percent of the single fatal single vehicle motorcycle crashes involved striking a fixed object such as a tree or a barrier.
In 2007, almost half (48%) of the fatal single vehicle motorcycle crashes involved speeding.
In 2007, 41% of the motorcycle drivers killed in single vehicle crashes had a Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) of 0.08%. In other words, they were legally drunk.
Sixty-one percent of the motorcycle drivers killed on weekends had a BAC of 0.08% or higher.
While it is generally assumed that younger motorcyclists take more chances and have a higher death rate as a result, more and more motorcycles are being purchased by riders over the age of 40 and the fatalities among that age group has grown exponentially.
More than 25% of motorcycle fatalities involved drivers who weren’t properly licensed to ride a motorcycle, compared to only 15% of motor vehicle operators.
What does all this mean? It seems that too many motorcyclists are taking the motorcycling ideal of freedom of the road too literally. Speeding and alcohol use don't mix with a vehicle that is so unstable and hard to see. It also means that motorcycle riders are not getting the proper training to keep themselves safe on the road. While most states require that a motorcyclist pass a written test to obtain a motorcycle license or endorsement, only two states, Maine and Rhode Island, require that motorcyclists over the age of 21 receive any type of formal training on how to properly handle a motorcycle. The military has long recognized the need for formal motorcycle safety training, requiring service members to attend a course before they can obtain a pass to bring their motorcycle on base. The military also encourages ongoing refresher training.
While you can't control the actions of other motor vehicle operators, a motorcycle safety course can teach you how to properly handle your bike and make yourself more visible while riding. These courses, made up of both classroom and riding range instruction, teach motorcycle drivers the importance of proper safety equipment such as helmets, gloves and clothing that protect a rider in case he or she has to lay the bike down. On the driving range, riders learn proper clutch/throttle coordination and braking techniques and how to negotiate curves and corners. They also learn road hazard avoidance and how to handle various road surfaces. The experience of the instructors, along with class discussions among students, help to emphasize the lessons learned. Many states allow automatic licensing based on successful completion of a motorcycle safety course developed by the Motorcycle Safety Foundation.
To paraphrase a quote from the aviation community, "there are old motorcycle riders and there are bold motorcycle riders, but there are no old bold motorcycle riders." Don't allow yourself to become a statistic; learning how to ride your motorcycle properly will allow you even greater enjoyment of the freedom of the road that motorcycling brings.
What does all this mean? It seems that too many motorcyclists are taking the motorcycling ideal of freedom of the road too literally. Speeding and alcohol use don't mix with a vehicle that is so unstable and hard to see. It also means that motorcycle riders are not getting the proper training to keep themselves safe on the road. While most states require that a motorcyclist pass a written test to obtain a motorcycle license or endorsement, only two states, Maine and Rhode Island, require that motorcyclists over the age of 21 receive any type of formal training on how to properly handle a motorcycle. The military has long recognized the need for formal motorcycle safety training, requiring service members to attend a course before they can obtain a pass to bring their motorcycle on base. The military also encourages ongoing refresher training.
While you can't control the actions of other motor vehicle operators, a motorcycle safety course can teach you how to properly handle your bike and make yourself more visible while riding. These courses, made up of both classroom and riding range instruction, teach motorcycle drivers the importance of proper safety equipment such as helmets, gloves and clothing that protect a rider in case he or she has to lay the bike down. On the driving range, riders learn proper clutch/throttle coordination and braking techniques and how to negotiate curves and corners. They also learn road hazard avoidance and how to handle various road surfaces. The experience of the instructors, along with class discussions among students, help to emphasize the lessons learned. Many states allow automatic licensing based on successful completion of a motorcycle safety course developed by the Motorcycle Safety Foundation.
To paraphrase a quote from the aviation community, "there are old motorcycle riders and there are bold motorcycle riders, but there are no old bold motorcycle riders." Don't allow yourself to become a statistic; learning how to ride your motorcycle properly will allow you even greater enjoyment of the freedom of the road that motorcycling brings.
Labels: course, motorcycle, motorcycle safety
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Motorcycle Helmets - How They Save Your Life
The debate keeps raging throughout the states as to whether or not motorcycle helmets are a necessity and whether or not they actually save lives. Advocates for helmet-free riding cite the discomfort of helmets, the fact that they limit hearing and vision, and the belief that the extra weight causes neck injuries. They also state that the government should not determine whether or not a rider should have to wear a helmet.
Currently twenty states have universal helmet laws requiring everyone who rides to wear a helmet. Three states have no laws and the remaining twenty six states have some sort of modified law. In 2000 Florida changed its universal law to require everyone under the age of 21 to wear a helmet but left wearing a helmet as an option for anyone over 21 who has at least $10,000 in health insurance. Florida currently accounts for 9% of all motorcycle fatalities nationwide and, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), in the years after the law went into effect, motorcycle deaths in Florida increased by 25%.
The National Highway Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates that helmets reduce the fatality rate for motorcyclists by 37%. Their studies also show that un-helmeted riders are three times more likely to suffer traumatic brain injuries compared to helmeted riders. The Center for Disease Control says that the average costs to treat traumatic brain injury run about $150,000 in the first year of a multi-year treatment plan. Much of the cost for medical treatment, rehabilitation, and disability payments become a taxpayers challenge. That is one of the primary reasons why state governments feel they have the right to pass and enforce helmet laws.
To fully understand this issue, it's important to understand what happens in a motorcycle crash and how the helmet works.
Every crash obeys the laws of physics. Newton's first law of motion states that an object in motion tends to remain in motion, meaning that, once the motorcycle's travel comes to an abrupt halt, the rider will continue to travel at the same speed he was going before the bike stopped until something else acts to stop his travel; usually the concrete roadway. Newton's law also states that Mass X Velocity = Force. That means that a rider weighing 160 pounds won't hit the concrete with a force of 160 pounds but with a much greater force. By using an on-line force calculator, we can compute that a 160 pound man flying off the bike at 25 mph and coming to a stop within 5 feet, will strike the concrete with a force of 669 pounds. Once the rider's head hits the concrete, his brain, cushioned only by a very thin layer of cerebrospinal fluid, will also follow Newton's law until it presses up against the skull. There is no way to break the laws of physics but you can take steps to lessen their force with the use of a motorcycle helmet.
A good helmet can act to absorb and distribute the force of the impact, and thus, lessen the impact on the rider’s head. It does that in two ways. First the fiberglass shell of the helmet takes the full brunt of the force and dampens it by cracking and distributing the force around the outside of the helmet; this is similar to the way a car's body is designed to crush in order to protect the car's interior. Second, a good foam lining provides a cushion, somewhat like a car's airbag, to slow the speed of the head before impact. Without a helmet, the skull itself cracks and, with the forces involved, the tiny bit of fluid surrounding the brain is not adequate to cushion the brain. Multiple studies show that the brain injury rate and the number of fatalities are greatly reduced when a rider wears a helmet. Studies also show that the weight or rigidity of a helmet has little impact on neck and spinal cord injuries.
To help you select a good helmet, there are a lot of web sites for motorcycle enthusiasts with articles on the pros and cons of various helmets and advice on how to select the best one for you. Visit TestQuestionsandAnswers.com for more information on motorcycle safety and a motorcycle practice test.
Currently twenty states have universal helmet laws requiring everyone who rides to wear a helmet. Three states have no laws and the remaining twenty six states have some sort of modified law. In 2000 Florida changed its universal law to require everyone under the age of 21 to wear a helmet but left wearing a helmet as an option for anyone over 21 who has at least $10,000 in health insurance. Florida currently accounts for 9% of all motorcycle fatalities nationwide and, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), in the years after the law went into effect, motorcycle deaths in Florida increased by 25%.
The National Highway Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates that helmets reduce the fatality rate for motorcyclists by 37%. Their studies also show that un-helmeted riders are three times more likely to suffer traumatic brain injuries compared to helmeted riders. The Center for Disease Control says that the average costs to treat traumatic brain injury run about $150,000 in the first year of a multi-year treatment plan. Much of the cost for medical treatment, rehabilitation, and disability payments become a taxpayers challenge. That is one of the primary reasons why state governments feel they have the right to pass and enforce helmet laws.
To fully understand this issue, it's important to understand what happens in a motorcycle crash and how the helmet works.
Every crash obeys the laws of physics. Newton's first law of motion states that an object in motion tends to remain in motion, meaning that, once the motorcycle's travel comes to an abrupt halt, the rider will continue to travel at the same speed he was going before the bike stopped until something else acts to stop his travel; usually the concrete roadway. Newton's law also states that Mass X Velocity = Force. That means that a rider weighing 160 pounds won't hit the concrete with a force of 160 pounds but with a much greater force. By using an on-line force calculator, we can compute that a 160 pound man flying off the bike at 25 mph and coming to a stop within 5 feet, will strike the concrete with a force of 669 pounds. Once the rider's head hits the concrete, his brain, cushioned only by a very thin layer of cerebrospinal fluid, will also follow Newton's law until it presses up against the skull. There is no way to break the laws of physics but you can take steps to lessen their force with the use of a motorcycle helmet.
A good helmet can act to absorb and distribute the force of the impact, and thus, lessen the impact on the rider’s head. It does that in two ways. First the fiberglass shell of the helmet takes the full brunt of the force and dampens it by cracking and distributing the force around the outside of the helmet; this is similar to the way a car's body is designed to crush in order to protect the car's interior. Second, a good foam lining provides a cushion, somewhat like a car's airbag, to slow the speed of the head before impact. Without a helmet, the skull itself cracks and, with the forces involved, the tiny bit of fluid surrounding the brain is not adequate to cushion the brain. Multiple studies show that the brain injury rate and the number of fatalities are greatly reduced when a rider wears a helmet. Studies also show that the weight or rigidity of a helmet has little impact on neck and spinal cord injuries.
To help you select a good helmet, there are a lot of web sites for motorcycle enthusiasts with articles on the pros and cons of various helmets and advice on how to select the best one for you. Visit TestQuestionsandAnswers.com for more information on motorcycle safety and a motorcycle practice test.
Labels: helmet, motorcycle, motorcycle safety
