Fatal attraction: Baby Boomers and motorcycles

Oregon State Police photo

Cops have seen it over the past several years -- an increase in fatal motorcycle accidents.

But what public safety officials have known anecdotally for years now has the official stamp of recognition from the federal government. The U.S. Department of Transportation has confirmed in a new study that, yes, deaths from motorcycle crashes are increasing, while the number of motor vehicle fatalities is decreasing.

In 2007, the most current year in the DOT study, the overall number of traffic fatalities fell to 41,059, the lowest since 1994. In addition, the fatality rate per 100 million vehicle miles traveled was 1.37, the lowest fatality rate on record.

And here comes the but ...

But motorcycle fatalities now account for 13 percent of all fatalities, according to the DOT. In 2007, the number of motorcycle riders or passengers filled on the nation's roads increased 6.6 percent over the previous year.

While the DOT doesn't specifically point out the sometimes fatal attraction between Baby Boomers and motorcycles, a Google search of "baby boomer motorcycle fatalities" reveals plenty as the average age of the motorcycle rider in the past several years has increased.

Going back several years, news stories and police department statements have connected motorcycle riding to middle agers' desire to get back to the joie de vivre that they enjoyed (or thought they enjoyed, or wished they enjoyed) in their 20s. And today, in the era of close-to-$4 per gallon gas, motorcycles are perceived by some as a greener way to get around.

A 2005 Washington Post story, for example, cited federal statistics from 2004 that cited the majority of the increase in motorcycle deaths -- 60 percent -- involved riders over age 40. The Post story went on to say: "More Americans are riding motorcycles than ever as aging, affluent baby boomers recapture the 'Easy Rider' dreams of their youth. In 2003, the median age of all motorcyclists in the United States was 41, according to the Motorcycle Industry Council. In 1985, the median age was 27."

A fall 2007 report from the Governors Highway Safety Association about motorcycle safety was entitled: "Rusty Baby Boomers on Bigger Bikes: Is That What is Behind the Increase in Motorcycle Deaths?" It cited "baby boomers returning to cycling" and the fact that they were buying much bigger and faster motorcycles than they were accustomed to riding when they were younger.

And this, from a Wisconsin state trooper who was quoted last month in a Wsaw.com story: “You see a lot of drivers out there and even though they may appear to be very mature individuals, a lot of those folks are really novice drivers,” said Wisconsin State Patrol Lieutenant Tim Carnahan. “It’s not the same bike, it’s not the same experience he had when he was in his teens and twenties."

Here's a video from ABC's "America's Funniest Home Videos.' Yes, it's funny but it makes the point: