Reactions to story from The Washington Post

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  Motorcycle Accident Deaths Still On The Rise- What To Do?

  http://www.injurysite.com/motorcycle-accident-deaths-still-o...
  5 days ago in Personal Injury Lawyer, Personal Injury Attorney Blog, Personal Injury Settlements & Injury Law. · Authority: 5

  Two percent of all vehicles on the nation's roads last year were motorcycles, yet they were involved in 11 percent of all traffic accidents, leaving slightly more than 5,100 riders dead and 103,000 injured, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Fatalities have more than doubled over a decade as more motorcycles have hit the road. Recent reports indicate that deaths on motorcycles are also rising in Minnesota. The steady rise in motorcycle crashes has become a top concern of the U.S. Department of Transportation, said Secretary Mary Peters, who broke her collarbone a few years ago when she crashed her Harley-Davidson Road King at 40 mph. To address the problem, the Transportation Department is developing national standards for entry-level riders and has launched an educational campaign on the importance of wearing helmets and other safety gear. Congress has also become involved, authorizing $2 million to study crash causes. For every driver and rider it's important that the following be kept in mind: 1. Yield the right-of-way. 2. Start seeing motorcycles. 3. When on a motorcycle, make sure people see you. 4. When just starting to ride, make sure you have the correct training. The road is big enough for everyone. As with any death in a Minnesota motor vehicle collision, there are a number of issues that will need to be reviewed. My partner, Joe Crumley, addressed this topic in a recent article for the Minnesota Lawyers Trial magazine. I was interviewed last year on the same topic.Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Mike Bryant
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  Only the State Is Qualified to Teach You How to Ride a Motorcycle

  http://bothwell.typepad.com/whos_your_nanny/2008/10/only-the...
  56 days ago in who's your nanny? · Authority: 26

  Someone please answer this question for me: Why in the world would anyone want people too incompetent to understand what causes motorcycle crashes to simultaneously be responsible for things like schooling, warfighting, banking, investing, housing, etc.? The steady rise in motorcycle crashes has become a top concern of the U.S. Department of Transportation, said Secretary Mary Peters, who broke her collarbone a few years ago when she crashed her Harley-Davidson Road King at 40 mph. A helmet saved her life, she said. To address the problem, the Transportation Department is developing national standards for entry-level riders and has launched an educational campaign on the importance of wearing helmets and other safety gear. Congress has also become involved, authorizing $2 million for a study of crashes' causes. And remember, kids: Only the gummint can learn ya what ya need to know to be successful in life. According to Fairfax County (Va.) police motorcycle patrolman Jesse Bowman, no training is sufficiently "formal" unless it comes with a state-sanctioned certificate in tow. "Many, many motorcyclists never have any formal training of any kind," Bowman said. "So how are they taught? Big brother, dad, the kid down the street. Or they pick the motorcycle up and teach themselves. . . . Then when they get into a jam, they don't have the skill sets." That's right, we schmolks (schmucks/folks, duh!) know there's only one Big Brother who really counts!

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