Let’s see, lift the finger of someone who has never been told that riding a motorcycle is very dangerous. If we were given one euro for every time we had to hear things like this, we could probably change bikes a lot easier than taking a loan from the bank. Things about driving a vehicle with such a bad reputation.
But it turns out that if we look at some statistics (blessed statistics and their interpretations) compiled by Wes Siler for Ride Apart. There are 13 things more dangerous than riding a motorcycle. and you don’t have to go to risky sports or extreme experiences to be more likely to die statistically. Starting from the assumption that in the USA in 2016 4,957 people who drove a motorbike died, we are going to see a list of things with more mortality. The data comes from a variety of sources, although all refer to the USA.
- Alcohol killed 25,692 people in 2016.
- Every year, 440,000 people die from smoking-related illnesses.
- Poor nutrition and lack of exercise is behind the death of 400,000 people.
- About 98,000 Americans died last year from preventable medical errors.
- Smokers’ smoke causes 49,000 deaths each year in passive smokers.
- 48,614 American citizens died in 20015/16 from the flu.
- 39,000 people die each year from poisoning with household products or medicines.
- Firearms caused 31,940 deaths last year in the U. S., most of them suicides.
- A fall at home is behind 25,000 deaths a year.
- 20,000 people died from sexually transmitted diseases.
- 17,000 people died of drug abuse.
- Nearly 9,000 people died from a bathroom accident in 2,016
The NHTSA estimates that 24% of traffic accidents are caused by being distracted by the mobile phone. Which means that at least 7,247 people died because of the motive.
So you know, when they tell you that riding a motorcycle is dangerous, you’ve got a few arguments to settle the argument. Above all, though, it must be emphasised that if we do not all drive in accordance with the rules and the other road users, these statistics are of little value.