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2009 Motorcycle Accident Statistics Show a Drop in Accidents

Good news coming from 2009 motorcycle accidents statistics. The Governors’ Highway Safety Association has reported that there has been a substantial decline in the number of motorcycle accident fatalities as seen from preliminary figures for 2009.

These are not the final and confirmed figures, and do not take into account fatalities in the last nine months of 2009. However, according to the Governors’ Highway Safety Association, the rates are low enough to assume that the overall fatalities for all months of 2009 will be lower than in 2008.

In 2008, motorcycle accident fatalities across the United States touched an all-time high, with a total count of 5,290. In 2009, those numbers are expected to drop to 4,762 fatalities. That is a drop of at least 10% over 2008. It is also the first time that motorcycle fatalities have actually declined from the previous year. These fatality rates have been increasing steadily over the past 11 years, which is why this announcement by the Governors’ Highway Safety Association is so encouraging.

There’s more encouraging news for California motorcycle accident attorneys. The state has made remarkable progress in bringing down motorcycle crash fatality rates. California had a drop of more than 27% in its fatality rates in 2009 motorcycle accident statistics, compared to rates for 2008. In 2009, there were 321 motorcycle crash fatalities in California, compared to a total of 454 in 2008. That was a drop of 150 deaths from 2008. It is also the biggest decrease for any state in the country.

The Governors’ Highway Safety Association has several possible explanations for this decline in fatality rates in more than 11 years. As California motorcycle accident lawyers have expected, the economic recession has had a part to play in this fatality rate decline too.

For starters, there have been fewer baby boomers ready to buy new motorcycles and begin riding. The stock market crash of 2008 and the recession that followed soon after, negatively impacted retirement savings funds,. The above-50 crowd which has taken to motorcycling in a big way in recent years, was less inclined to do so in 2009. Besides, there was a drop in leisure travel due to the bad economy.

The Governors’ Highway Safety Association also believes that more focus on state-sponsored safety training programs for beginner motorcyclists has played a part in reducing crash fatality rates. That is an interesting explanation because earlier this month, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety put out a study showing that motorcycle safety programs have no impact on crash fatality rates.

A thorough analysis of motorcycle crash fatalities in 2009, is needed. That must come once we have all fatality figures for last year.  A closer look at the fatalities could possibly point out to some factors that contribute to high crash death rates. This could help in developing measures that minimize these motorcycle crash fatalities rates further.

The Reeves Law Group is a law firm with offices throughout California dedicated exclusively to the representation of personal injury victims, including victims of motorcycle accidents. Please visit our website at http://www.robertreeveslaw.com/. If you desire a free consultation on a personal injury matter, please call us at (800) 644-8000 or email us at contact@robertreeveslaw.com.

The Reeves Law Group is not representing any party in the matters discussed in this posting.

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