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Reader asks for the lowdown on Pinellas motorcycle fatalities

 
Published Dec. 3, 2015

As I read the newspaper, I notice how many motorcycle deaths there are in the area. It seems to me there is at least one or more every week. If this is correct, then there would be 52 or more deaths per year. Do you have any statistics on this?

Carl Hardy

Pinellas County's Metropolitan Planning Organization reported 619 total motorcycle crashes in 2013 (the most recent data available) and 16 fatalities. This number is down from the two previous years: there were 20 motorcycle fatalities in Pinellas County in 2012; 28 in 2011. According to the MPO, Pinellas accounted for about 6 percent of Florida's total number of motorcycle crashes in 2013. The Miami-Dade area led the state in motorcycle fatalities in 2013 (45 fatalities), followed by Hillsborough County (42); Broward County (36); Volusia County (29); Orange County (26); Duval County (25); and Brevard County (21).

There are a number of agencies and organizations that track motorcycle crashes, injuries, and fatalities nationally and state-by-state. The Governors Highway Safety Association reported in May 2015 that the number of motorcycle crash deaths in the U.S. dropped slightly (2 percent) in 2014 for the second consecutive year — the decline recorded in 2013 was 6 percent. Experts attribute this decrease primarily to bad winter weather up north and fewer riders on the road.

Data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says 4,668 motorcyclists died in crashes across the U.S. in 2013 (the most recent data available). Florida recorded 321 motorcycle crash fatalities from January to July 2014, which placed the state third in the number of deaths behind other large, warm-weather states: Texas, which had 354 fatalities, and California, which had 338 during the same reporting period, according to the GHSA.

Here's another number to consider: As of January of this year, there were 593,321 registered motorcycles in Florida. That doesn't represent the number of motorcycles on the road; our warm, sunny winters draw riders from northern climes, adding to the number of motorcycles in use.

Ride Smart Florida says many crashes involve motorists pulling out in front of motorcycles, usually to make a left turn, and failing to see motorcyclists. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration confirms that 40 percent of two-vehicle crashes involving a motorcycle occur when another vehicle turns left while the motorcycle is going straight, passing, or overtaking the vehicle. This should remind all of us to slow down and look twice.

One final piece of information: The intersections with the highest numbers of motorcycle accidents in Pinellas County are: U.S. 19 at Curlew Road; U.S. 19 at Tampa Road; U.S. 19 at Nebraska Avenue; U.S. 19 at Bryan Dairy Road; Interstate 275 at Roosevelt Boulevard.

For information and safety tips, check out Ride Smart Florida at www.ridesmartflorida.com.

Read the Pinellas County Metropolitan Planning Organization's 2014 crash report (2013 data) online at http://bit.ly/1Q8heFG.

Email Dr. Delay at docdelay@gmail.com or snail mail to P.O. Box 4954, Seminole FL 33775 to share your traffic concerns. Follow @AskDrDelay.