Personal Injury Law

New York Motorcycle Accident Deaths Rise Again

The New York Times reported that the number of motorcyclist accident deaths jumped in 2007, with the region accounting for nearly one in eight motor vehicle deaths, government safety officials said on Thursday. Deaths of people in cars and trucks, on bicycles or on foot dropped by nearly 2,000 last year, pushing the overall death rate to a historic low. But deaths of motorcyclists surged 6.6 percent, to 5,154; 2007 was the 10th straight year of increase.

Experts say the trend is most likely to continue, as high gasoline prices will encourage some travelers to use their bikes more often. The average motorcycle gets 50 miles for the $4 gallon of gasoline instead of the 20 miles per gallon the average car travels.

?We have seen the total motorcycle participation in vehicle miles traveled go up,? said Mary E. Peters, the secretary of transportation and a longtime Harley-Davidson rider. ?We might see more people moving to that mode of transportation,? Ms. Peters said. ?We might see that data skew.?

Full post as published by New York Injury Talk Blog on September 09, 2008 (boomark / email).