Motorcycle ownership up in Minnesota, and so is carnage on the roads

As motorcycle riding has boomed in Minnesota, state records show an uptick in deaths and injuries.

By KEVIN GILES and PAUL WALSH, Star Tribune

Last update: April 11, 2009 - 12:05 AM

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Ken Bradley considers himself a safe motorcycle rider, but given the crowding on metro highways, he doesn't trust anyone these days.

"For many years I've driven as though every single car is trying to kill me," said Bradley, 43, of Minneapolis, but state officials wish all motorcyclists were as careful. He owns one of the 225,000 motorcycles now registered in Minnesota -- twice as many as were registered in 1996 and an all-time high. That surge has brought a similar spike in motorcycle accident deaths, and has set off alarms at the state's Department of Public Safety.

Records show more than 1,500 motorcycle riders were injured and 72 died in crashes last year. That's the highest number of fatalities in Minnesota since 1985 when there were 77. The record low was 24 in 1997.

"The rate of fatalities has increased at a greater rate than the rate of motorcycle riders," said Patrick Hahn, a department spokesman. Four people -- compared with three or fewer in most years since 1980 -- now die in every 100 motorcycle crashes. One in five injured motorcyclists will be hurt severely, Hahn said.

"There's a growing concern among traffic safety specialists," said Lt. Paul Van Voorhis of the State Patrol. "Everybody's concerned. How can we put an enforcement program out there to drive these numbers down?"

In May, a task force of several metro police departments will put motorcycle cops on highways, sometimes in groups, to draw attention to the problem, he said. That effort, funded in part with a $60,000 federal grant, will continue through the summer.

But a bigger challenge, Van Voorhis said, is figuring out where officers should go. Motorcycle rallies and fun rides tend to be "pretty tame," he said, while severe crashes can happen anywhere, anytime and often involve individual riders. Many of the same hazards that plague car and truck drivers, such as drinking and speeding, figure in motorcycle deaths as well.

Motorcycle riders die at a greater rate than people in accidents involving other vehicles, Hahn said. The U.S. Traffic Safety Administration estimates that a motorcycle rider is 35 times more likely to die in a crash than the occupant of an automobile, he said.

Bradley, who drives his motorcycle most of the year, said that modern safety equipment makes motorcycle riding safer than ever. At 16, he owned his first motorcycle, and he said he has learned to ride safer and watch for swerving drivers since then. His defensive driving includes wearing a helmet even though Minnesota law doesn't require it.

"I can guarantee you that lots of people who are dying don't have a helmet on," he said.

State safety officials say that half of all motorcycle crashes involve another vehicle, usually at intersections.

"Motorists need to be prepared for and aware of motorcycle riders," said Cheri Marti, director of the state's Office of Traffic Safety. "The four most common factors in motorcycle crashes are speed, inexperience, inattention and alcohol. Those things are completely within control of the rider."

Last year, a third of motorcyclists killed in crashes had been drinking, the state reports.

Safety information and riding tips are available at www.motorcyclesafety.org.

kgiles@startribune.com • 612-673-4432 pwalsh@startribune.com • 612-673-4482

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