The Seattle Post-Intelligencer, in an article that disputes its name, says this:
But with so many rookie riders on the road, motorcycle accidents also have begun to climb, and the inexperienced riders are making their mark on those numbers.
Wednesday, the Washington State Patrol reported that 80 percent of all motorcycle fatalities in the state were the result of rider error, the most common causes being excessive speed and lane errors, usually a rider unable to negotiate a curve safely.
No. Really? This is news? And then there's this:
Studies also show that statewide, a third of riders involved in accidents had no motorcycle endorsement.
Just for fun, let's take a look at the death rate for people without a marriage endorsement (for you BMW riders, that's "unmarried people"). According to the final death data for 2005 from the Centers for Disease Control:
Those who never married had the highest age-adjusted death rate, followed by widowed persons, then divorced persons, and then married persons. ... For all age groups 15 years and over, death rates for married persons were much lower than rates for never-married persons. For those aged 15–24 years, divorced persons had the highest death rate, whereas, for those aged 25–34 years, widowed persons had the highest death rate. For those aged 35–44 years, 45–54 years, 55–64 years, and 75 years and over, those who never married had the highest death rates. For those aged 65–74 years, divorced persons had the highest death rate.
To reduce the number of deaths, maybe the government should require everyone over age 15 to have a marriage license. Do you think the Seattle Post-Intelligencer would go for that?
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