[NJSBMWR] Newsletter Fodder - my column

[Ed Gerber]

Don,

Here's my column.

When I'm riding my motorcycle, I'm glad to be alive  - and when I stop 
riding my motorcycle I'm glad to be alive.
(The late Neil Peart)

     I'm spending the winter in Southeast Florida but don't ride 
here.There are no good motorcycling roads. Just about all the roads are

divided,  straight as an arrow, multi-lanes.  Traffic is heavy with a 
toxic mix of elderly and impatient drivers.  There's no helmet law in 
Florida and it's

rare to see helmeted riders, much less riders wearing  protective 
clothing.  In general it seems like a bad place to ride, so I checked 
the statistics.

     According to the Governors' Highway Safety Association (GHSA), 18% 
of all  Florida traffic deaths are motorcycle related.  By contrast in

New Jersey with its mandatory helmet law, 11.8% of traffic deaths are 
motorcycle related. But Motorcycling in Florida,  unlike Jersey is a 
year 'round

sport. So how do Jersey's statistics compare with nearby states without 
helmet laws?  In Pennsylvania motorcycle fatalities are 11.6% of the 
state total

and in Connecticut the percentage is 12.7% of the total. These rates are 
comparable to New Jersey's although both states have lower population

densities.

     Significantly, Florida has a traffic fatality rate for all vehicles 
per 100,000 miles traveled  of 1.41 fatalities while New Jersey's rate 
is less than

half at 0.71 fatalities per 100,00 miles of travel. Safety-wise Florida 
is not a great place to ride.

     In terms of helmet use, the GHSA estimates that in 2016 helmet use 
saved 1,859 motorcycle fatalities and I believe in wearing All tThe Gear

All The Time, but It's apparent that to stay safe, where you ride is 
often more  important as what you wear.

Ride Safe

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