Today, it’s not so easy for riders
Looks like Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger could be a poster boy for aging, motorcycle-riding baby boomers. The actor-turned-politician exemplifies the gutsy breed of older motorcyclists who are hitting the road in record numbers.
The downside is that like Schwarzenegger, many of his riding counterparts have suffered their share of accidents. In 2004, there were 3,888 motorcycle deaths nationwide, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Many of those fatalities -- 46% -- involved motorcyclists 40 and older. That’s up from 9% in 1982.
“The trend is reflective not of an aging population, but of the skyrocketing sales of high-powered bikes to baby boomers,” says Candysse Miller, executive director of the Insurance Information Network of California.
Even Jean Hughes, a lobbyist for ABATE of California, a motorcycle organization, agrees that powerful performance cycles can be too much for some older riders whose reflexes may be slower. Hughes stresses that crowded roads, speed and an increase in the number of massive four-wheel vehicles that cyclists have to share the road with contribute to motorcycle deaths and injuries.
Lack of motorcycle training, failure to get proper licensing and discourteous drivers also add to a motorcyclist’s risks, she says.
Ray Ochs, director of training and curriculum at the Motorcycle Safety Foundation, does not believe it’s inherently more dangerous for older people to ride motorcycles.
“With age comes wisdom,” says Ochs, who is 57 and has been riding since 1963.
Getting back on the road after years of not riding can be a bit daunting with some of the heavier and more powerful bikes, he says. But older riders can adjust by taking training courses and learning their limitations.
Even Schwarzenegger, 58, a longtime enthusiast, is not immune to risks. His recent accident on his Harley-Davidson in Brentwood left him with 15 stitches on his upper lip. Police discovered that he did not have the proper license to operate a motorcycle. For various reasons, including legal technicalities, he was not cited.
News of the accident led ABATE to offer to pay for the governor to take a motorcycle safety course to get his proper operating license.
The group also offered the governor’s 12-year-old son a one-year junior membership “so he too can learn about the safety and responsibility of being a motorcyclist,” says Hughes. He was unhurt in the crash.
Although the Brentwood incident wasn’t serious, a 2001 motorcycle accident left Schwarzenegger with several fractured ribs.
Motorcycle safety is a hot-button issue, triggering intense debate between bikers who want the right to ride without a helmet and police, doctors and safety experts who decry the high rate of deaths and injuries.
Efforts to overturn or weaken helmet laws by motorcycle associations have been going on for years in California and elsewhere. Just two days after the governor’s accident, such legislation failed to get enough votes when it went before the state Senate’s Transportation and Housing Committee.
The legislation, written by Sens. Denise Ducheny (D-San Diego) and Bill Morrow (R-Oceanside), would have allowed cyclists ages 18 and older to ride without helmets in California if they could show proof that they had completed safety training and that they had medical insurance. The bill was strongly opposed by the California Highway Patrol, the California Medical Assn., the California State Automobile Assn., the California Police Chiefs Assn., insurance groups and other organizations.
Supporting the bill were the California Motorcycle Dealers Assn. and the Modified Motorcycle Assn.
“We were stunned by the defeat,” said Hughes of ABATE of California, whose organization sponsored the legislation. “We thought we had everything in the bill that would satisfy the committee.”
By requiring training and proof of insurance, the motorcycle organization figured it had addressed two major issues. Critics contend that motorcycle accidents result in brain injuries and other serious conditions that cost taxpayers and hospitals dearly. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that helmet use saved $1.3 billion in medical costs in 2002.
As of 1998, there were an estimated 19,085,000 motorcycle riders in the U.S. By 2003, that number had jumped to an estimated 23,454,000, a 23% increase, according to the Motorcycle Industry Council.
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Jeanne Wright can be reached at jeanrite@aol.com.
