How much more dangerous are motorcyles than cars?

Answer 1

Lets look at some numbers. According to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration stats for 2004. 31,693 people were killed driving passenger vehicles (cars, vans, SUV's ect) in the US. only 4008 people were killed riding motorcycles. which is less than the 4641 pedestrians killed in motorvehicle accidents that year. Seems based on numbers alone that riding a motorcycle is safer than walking. LOL. I realize that there are fewer riders than drivers, so the percentage of deaths versus operators is higher for bikes than cars from a numerical view, but the point is 31,693 people died that year in something that they thought of as safe. People who drive and look at bikes as death traps do so because they want to feel as if they are smarter and safer. They are not willing to admit to themselves the life threatening risk they take everytime they hop in their car and go pick up some milk. Critisizing things others are doing provides a false sense of security that they can live in comfortably until their car becomes a coffin. I never fail to realize that it dosent matter if i am in my van or on my bike (or walking for that matter) that what i am doing is risky and that I need to be alert, considerate, defensive and sober. Pretending that being in a car makes me instantly safe would make me let my guard down and thats the best time for something bad to happen.

Answer 2

I think that the older a biker gets, the safer a biker gets. I personally will not ride next to a car and I am only comfortable if I can see a drivers eyes in his mirror because I am at least a car length behind and out of side swipe range. I also think the more experience a rider has, the less likely the rider will put himself in a dangerous situation. The first 3 years I road I had 2 "accidents" that were my fault because I wasn't wearing a flashing strobe light jacket and the car pushed me off the road because I wasn't seen. I never got the flashing strobe light fixed but I just reduce the chance for drivers to get at me. I commute 60 miles a day to work and I have not had any problems in the past 6-7 years because of my awareness of my surroundings and quick adjustments to the changes ahead of me. That is not to say there hasn't been any situations that needed avoiding but they were handled properly and me and my bike lived to ride another day. I think it helps when the leading factors of auto accidents are not possible on a motorcycle. I can't eat a cheese burger while riding, I can't talk on the phone, although I don't wear make up- a girl rider would have difficulty putting on make up while riding, I can't shave while riding, etc...

If everybdy rode then roads would be smaller, we would use less gas, there would be less road rage (not smart to ram somebody when you ride a bike), and there would be fewer accidents because riders are more aware than drivers.

Answer 3

How much more dangerous are motorcycles than cars? Alone and sitting they are not dangerous at all. Mine is in my garage right now without a hint of danger.....now when I ride that equation becomes quite different. How do you make riding less dangerous is a better question, and the answer is: Take a safety course, ride with experienced riders (who also have had a course), ride with in your capabilities not the bikes, and practice the basics at all times. I have taken the Basic Riders Course, and Experienced Riders Course from the MSF and plan to take the Police Skills Course also. Is there still a risk of a car cutting me off? Yes, but I have the time on the road to see it before it happens and react correctly. Enjoy the ride. :)

Answer 4

Let's see.
I rode my motorcycle down some stairs showing off... and fell over at the bottom and was dragged 20 feet, scraping off skin and flesh on my right side.
At another time, a guy drove his car down the same stairs and was uninjured.

I kick-started my motorcycle, not noticing that it was in gear. The motorcycle jumped forward, fell over to the left, and the clutch lever impaled my left foot.
This doesn't happen with cars.

I was waiting in line at the gas pump, when the fool ahead of me decided to back up! I couldn't push out of the way in time. I ended up on the ground with an aching back and a big bruise.
In cars, that would have been a fender bender.

I've accidentally touched the hot engine of my motorcycle, resulting in blisters. The engine of a car is under a hood and behind a firewall, so there's no accidental touching of it.

Answer 5

They are not more dangerous than cars. Riding along an open road with good visibility, a motorcycle and a car are equally safe.

The danger comes with the rider, not the bike.

If it rains a bike needs to slow down just like a car does, but if a car slides into a ditch the driver is less likely to be hurt. The crash does not make a motorcycle less safe if the rider overstepped his/her ability in the first place.

In a car, you have airbags, seatbelts and a windshield. On a bike, you have your gear, your speed & maneuverability, and your wits. The car does the protecting for you, whereas on a motorcycle you must consciously monitor your own safety. If you ride a motorcycle like you would drive a car, then you are almost guaranteed to go down. Ignorance of how to ride properly does not make the motorcycle less safe.

What I would like people to know about motorcycles are that they are NOT cars, do not handle like them, do not behave like them, and do not operate like them. An entirely different mindset and skill set must be employed to be safe on a motorcycle, and one would be wise to spend time on learning these things.

Answer 6

Like any machine there is an element of risk in using them.

It is not whether the machine itself is inherantly dangerous but the environment and the way that it is used that makes it so.

Cars can be dangerous if inexperienced drivers drive at perfomance levels in conditions way beyond their skills likewise motorcycles can be missused.

Cars have the added safety of crumple zones and crash bracing , motorcycle s dont.

Car drivers are usually inattentive and do not look out for bikes, bikes on the other hand can lane split and weave in and out of traffic which make them vulnerable.

All riders need to ride to survive so they can survive to ride.

I am an experienced rider of 30 years, I have had 2 accidents both were my fault and were single vehicle accidents.

In other words in my impetous youth i rode like a diiick head and paid the price twice. The second time hurt alot more than the first so I settled down and still love to ride.

Yes there is an element of danger in riding motorcycles that can be tempered with experience , attitude and knowledge.

Experience ..do as many riding courses as you can , dont buy a super sport machine straight up, get used to the skills required to ride properly first.

Attitude..have a postive attitude on the road and remain alert, be in control of your machine and not the other way around. Show some courtesy, if someone is wanting to get in your lane let them , it is better than being cut off with now where to go.

Knowledge , know your limitations and your bikes limitations, ride safetly and obey the road rules ( most of them do work and its is less expensive if you do), have knowledge of the road conditions and the skills to ride in all weather.

Most of all have fun doing it.

There may be old riders and there may be bold riders but there are not too many old bold riders.

Answer 7

Until such time as car drivers actually feel the full weight of the law for acts of negligence, then motorcycle riding will always be a high risk activity.

The truth in the 'sorry I didn't see you' is actually 'sorry I didn't look'. The end result when a car pulls out in front of a car is often little harm, but car vs motorocycle is a different issue.

I'm not including the people on bikes that go out to get themselves hurt; they would be better playing on a race track.

Answer 8

As long as you wear your gear and pay attention, probably no moreso. I ride in some of the busiest, roughest traffic around (Dallas/Fort Worth), and have had no problems or incidents. I pay total attention to what I'm doing, I ride with a helmet, padded jacket, and boots and gloves - no matter how hot or cold it is, and I always make sure I know what's around me.

Other than the metal body on a car, I don't think that there is any difference. You can get killed on a bike, or in a car - depending on what kind of accident you're in. Anything can happen at any given time - how prepared are you to handle the situation, that's what it comes down to.

Answer 9

The danger of a motorcycle is people in cars don't watch out for them. I've had to chenge lanes before because a car just came on over on me and never looked. The other danger is yourself, if you're not ready to be on the road on a motorcycle, don't doit. I see plenty of riders that don't know what they're doing.

Answer 10

Honestly? Motorcycles are only dangerous because people who think they want to ride, dont put forth the effort when they do.They think that everyone sees them, and they think they can ride where ever and are safe. If you want to ride safely, you have to be pro active, eyes always moving, ready to get out of the way. Cages do not see you. or maybe they dont want to see you. YOU MUST see them and act accordingly. I have been riding 15 years and I can honestly tell you it doesnt matter what you are riding or driving, but how much attention YOU chose to pay to it. GOOD LUCK< KAT