Missouri motorcycle fatality rates among highest in nation

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- Missouri is one of most dangerous places in the U.S. to ride a motorcycle, according to a published report.

Between 2002 and 2006, the state's annual fatality rate remained constant at between nine and 12 deaths per 10,000 registered riders, the Springfield News-Leader reported in its Sunday editions.

While other states have seen their rates increase, Missouri's rate is still among the highest in the nation, ranking ninth in 2006 and 10th in 2005.

The newspaper reviewed data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's Fatality Analysis Reporting System and found 390 motorcyclists died on Missouri roads from 2002 to 2006.

It found that 58 percent of the fatal crashes occurred in rural areas and only 44 percent of them involved another vehicle.

"What we're finding here in Missouri is it's that middle-aged group that seems to be dying the most," said Neil Myers, state coordinator for the Missouri Motorcycle Safety Program.

Myers said a number of factors seemed to be fueling the trend including people seeking to take advantage of motorcycles' better gas mileage and baby boomers who used to ride getting back into it.

The newspaper's analysis also found that about 18 percent of killed drivers were not wearing a helmet and another 3 percent died when they weren't wearing their helmets correctly.

Missouri's helmet law, passed in 1967, requires all motorcycle riders to wear a helmet, but lawmakers attempt to kill the law almost every year.

State Sen. Luann Ridgeway, R-Smithville, is sponsoring this year's version, which would eliminate the helmet requirement for drivers 21 and older but retain it for younger drivers and any driver on interstate highways.

"I think it's a matter of personal freedom," Ridgeway said. "We don't require it for virtually anything else, but we have singled out this segment of our society."

She said that those who support helmet laws, including Myers' program and the Missouri Department of Transportation, need to consider factors other than just statistics tracking traffic accidents and fatalities.

"We do not have enough data to determine whether speed was the primary factor, whether the carelessness of an automobile driver was a contributing factor, whether alcohol or drug use was a contributing factor ..." she said.

Ridgeway also noted that the state doesn't require helmets for other potentially hazardous activities, such as skiing, horseback riding or even driving an automobile.

"There's trade-offs in exchange for a modicum of freedom," she said.

Myers said there's considerable research supporting the safety benefits of helmets as well as common sense.

"No professional (motorcycle) race will let you race without a helmet, so that ought to tell you something," he said.

While he appreciated that Ridgeway's bill keeps helmets required for younger drivers and motorcycles on intestate highways, he said it misses a large part of the problem.

About 16 percent of motorcycle drivers killed between 2002 and 2006 were 21 years or younger and Myers said data shows few fatal accidents occur on the highway.

"The rural two-lane is where you most need the helmets," he said.

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Information from: Springfield News-Leader, http://www.springfieldnews-leader.com