Riding a Motorcycle in Florida can be Dangerous

A recent post at Tampabay.com used statistics from the National Highway Safety Administration to drive home the point that riding a motorcycle on the public roads in Florida is dangerous. According to the post, the number of motorcycle rider deaths nationally has steadily gone up from 2,110 deaths in 1997 to 4,810 deaths in 2006. In addition, motorcycle riders are 35 times more likely to die when they are in a wreck than people riding in car.

The state with the most motorcycle deaths is Florida. Local Tampa Bay statistics seem to support the conclusion. For example, in less than two months the following deaths have been reported:

35 year old Juan Andino-Casillas was killed in Tampa in February of 2009 after he drove his Suzuki motorcycle into a car that turned into his lane.

42 year old Jerry Williamson died in St. Pete Beach in February of 2009 after crashing his Harley-Davidson motorcycle into a car that turned into his lane.

19 year old Benjamin Mower was killed in Zephyrhills in March of 2009 after he crashed his Suzuki motorcycle into a car that turned into his lane.

The reason for the increasing number of deaths nationally is unclear. Some say it's the increase in the number of motorcycle riders. Tampabay.com quoted The U.S. Transportation Department statistics that 350,000 motorcycles were sold in 1997 and 1.2 million motorcycles were sold in 2006 to prove the point. Some say that motorcycle riders are hard to see. Others, like Steve Gaskins, the Hillsborough County spokesman for the Florida Highway Patrol, blame the motorcycle riders. He was apparently was quoted as saying "...many of them are driving recklessly."

The reason Florida leads the Nation in Motorcycle deaths is also unclear. However, several factors probably play a role. First, Florida is one of the biggest states so it has a large number of motorcycle riders. Second, the whether here is warm most of the year so there is more time to ride. Third, Florida is one of several states that does not require helmets while riding so people that may otherwise have lived through a crash may suffer head trauma that takes their life.

Scott Distasio
Tampa motorcycle accident lawyer

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