Motorcycle crash study kicks off in L.A.

L.A. motorcyclists who crash their bikes may play an unintentional, if necessary, role in improving motorcycle safety. The pilot portion of the federal government's long-awaited Motorcycle Crash Causation Study kicked off at various locations throughout Los Angeles on Monday. It will continue until at least 27 accidents have occurred and are documented -- a rather morose milestone that will likely be reached by March.

The data will be compiled from LAPD accident reports and information recorded by the mechanical sensors and cameras already in place at the intersections earmarked for the study. Exactly which intersections won't be revealed to the public. "We can't be specific because people will go there," said Doug Hecox, spokesman for the Federal Highway Administration, the Department of Transportation entity managing the pilot study. "The intent is for motorcycle crashes to occur. We're not trying to cause them, but we don't want anybody else to try to cause them either."

-- Susan Carpenter

Photo credit: Associated Press

According to Hecox, the pilot is "purely to test the methodology" that will be applied to the broader Motorcycle Crash Causation Study, which is expected to kick off in about a year in a handful of different states. Final results of the larger study won't be available until at least 2013 -- 35 years after the last major motorcycle safety study was conducted on U.S. soil. Since 1981, when the famed Hurt Study was published and reported findings on the causes of motorcycle accidents, about 12 million street bikes have been sold in the U.S. The average rider age has increased from 27 to 42, and the overall size of the rider population has grown to roughly 7 million. The results of the study will be used to "reverse engineer ways to make motorcycle riding safer, to make the roads safer for motorcyclists and their passengers, and ultimately to make the roadway safer for everyone," Hecox said.

Comments

[Crusty ol' rider]

It's about time that a true "study" of the issue is done. Stastistics for injuries can be twisted to indicate just about whatever you want to prove. Be it ABS brakes or types of helmets used...or not, or even if the rider was also wearing proper clothing. I would hope this endeaver resolves the "...I didn't see him" excuse and results in stonger penalties for careless drivers injuring vulnerable users of the road. These are not just motorcycles and scooters, but include anyone legally on the road. START SEEING MOTORCYCLES !!!! And...all those who ride carelessly by doing things like wheelies down the freeway are not helping to preserve your rights to this type of legal transportation. Don't ruin it for everyone !!

[Daniel Halloran]

Thanks for the heads-up. I'm glad they're updating this story, but I hope I don't get to be one of the lucky 27 motorcyclists that will "take part" in this test! Hopefully the broader study will be big enough to get stats on e.g. how much safer is a bike with ABS?