According to the Louisiana Highway Safety Commission, motorcycle crash-related deaths surged 28% in the last two years while fatal crashes nationwide have decreased by 10%. Louisiana jumped from 81 fatal motorcycle crashes in 2008 to 104 in 2009. Nationwide, motorcycle fatalities dropped from 5,290 to 4,762 last year. While the national decrease seems encouraging, suggested reasons for the decline are factors that may not be permanent: less motorcycle travel due to the overall down national economy, fewer beginning motorcyclists, increased state attention to motorcycle safety programs, and poor cycling weather in large areas of the country.
Clearly the economy played a large role in the decline of motorcycle deaths in 2009. A study by the National Governors Conference cautions against putting too much stock in the national decrease as there is much more work that needs to be done to improve motorcycle safety.
The State of Louisiana suspended its motorcycle-safety program, the Motorcycle Safety Awareness and Operator Training Course, for the last six months of 2009 for budgetary reasons. An estimated 2,000 people per year took the course offered by the Department of Education. Louisiana law does not require any special motorcycle endorsement for a driver’s license. Louisiana traditionally ranks higher in the number of alcohol-related motorcycle crash deaths compared to the rest of the country. With only a helmet and leather to protect them from injury, motorcyclists are generally considered more vulnerable in crash studies.
Richard J. Arsenault, 2011
