From: utzoo!decvax!harpo!npoiv!npois!houxm!houxa!houxi!houxz!hogpc!hsc Newsgroups: net.cycle Title: Re: motorcycles dangerous? - (nf) Article-I.D.: hogpc.88 Posted: Wed Mar 16 14:19:06 1983 Received: Wed Mar 23 02:11:12 1983 References: zehntel.831 Statistics and accident studies show that most fatalities fall into one or more of the following categories: -no valid motorcycle driver's license. -not own bike. -less than one year riding experience. -using alcohol or drugs. -no helmet. -at or near intersection. -below 50 mph. In general, people get killed because they are inexperienced, impaired (alcohol etc.), or risk-loving (no helmet, probably correlated with other risk-taking behavior), and because they tangle with a car. The safest place per mile or per hour is a limited-access highway; cars are less likely to drive over you. All those who love to push it to the limits on public roads, please feel free to flame away about how your high level of skill compensates for your risk-taking. A sober adult with more than a year of riding experience and wearing a helmet is about as likely to be killed as the average grunt in a car without a seatbelt. I find that an acceptable personal level of risk on my bike (I ALWAYS use the seatbelt in a car); others may prefer more or less.