Holton Fire Chief Bryan Hawk, Latest Victim of Driver, Police, Media Neglect - The Ludington Torch2024-03-28T10:29:57Zhttps://ludingtoncitizen.ning.com/forum/topics/holton-fire-chief-bryan-hawk-latest-victim-of-driver-police-media?groupUrl=bumps&commentId=4689834%3AComment%3A1336810&xg_source=activity&groupId=4689834%3AGroup%3A14&feed=yes&xn_auth=noNobody's claiming that motorc…tag:ludingtoncitizen.ning.com,2021-07-26:4689834:Comment:13370012021-07-26T14:47:15.169ZXLFDhttps://ludingtoncitizen.ning.com/profile/TheLudingtonCitizen
<p>Nobody's claiming that motorcycle riding isn't dangerous, but since motorcycle riding will continue as a popular way to get around, the objective is to make sure there are less accidents and deaths. Every riding season I see several motorcycles as I do my limited amount of traveling, this year I've probably seen more than usual either due to the generally increased traffic or due to my extensive writing of articles on motorcycle accidents jinxing me into practicing what I preach or become…</p>
<p>Nobody's claiming that motorcycle riding isn't dangerous, but since motorcycle riding will continue as a popular way to get around, the objective is to make sure there are less accidents and deaths. Every riding season I see several motorcycles as I do my limited amount of traveling, this year I've probably seen more than usual either due to the generally increased traffic or due to my extensive writing of articles on motorcycle accidents jinxing me into practicing what I preach or become one of those dipsticks that cause a motorcycle accident by dint of my inattentive driving. </p>
<p>But I have had no problems. I look for motorcycles; when one is behind me or in front of me, I take that into consideration. In the last dozen years, I can only remember one motorcyclist riding dangerously, but I have seen about a dozen of suspect vehicle-driving moves when motorbikes are present. </p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.thejusticeattorneys.com/our-blog/2020/september/why-do-motorcyclists-not-wear-helmets-/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">good reasons</a> why some motorbikers may not wear helmets should not alleviate them from considering other protections that are less onerous (such as eye protection and skullcaps). </p>
<p>You won't generally catch me on my bicycle with a helmet this time of year because of the very good reason that I've yet to find a helmet that doesn't drive all my sweat into my eyes, then disallows me from wiping my eyes with my sleeve. When the salt river hits my eyes, I just can't see and that makes it very dangerous. Catch me in March or October on my bicycle and you just might catch me with a helmet on as it not only serves as protection for my melon, but also retains my body heat (without the salt river).</p> For a change, I don't necessa…tag:ludingtoncitizen.ning.com,2021-07-26:4689834:Comment:13368102021-07-26T01:51:28.221ZAQUAMANhttps://ludingtoncitizen.ning.com/profile/AQUAMAN
<p>For a change, I don't necessarily agree with your viewpoint here Willy. There are many dangerous and risky actions by humans other than motorcycle riding. Playing any sport, football, basketball, baseball, riding bicycles, fishing, hunting, flying, parachuting, swimming, golfing, riding a lawnmower, walking, jogging, driving cars, can all cause unnecessary injuries too. I agree it's become a lot more dangerous in recent years, but most of this is because of careless drivers going too fast in…</p>
<p>For a change, I don't necessarily agree with your viewpoint here Willy. There are many dangerous and risky actions by humans other than motorcycle riding. Playing any sport, football, basketball, baseball, riding bicycles, fishing, hunting, flying, parachuting, swimming, golfing, riding a lawnmower, walking, jogging, driving cars, can all cause unnecessary injuries too. I agree it's become a lot more dangerous in recent years, but most of this is because of careless drivers going too fast in a hurry, and simply not paying attention to traffic. There are a great percentage of motorcyclists that are very careful and respectful of speed limits and driving laws. It is the minority of motorcyclists that are careless and don't pay attention. The one hit by this perhaps pick-up truck does not appear to be at fault, at least imho. Ppl. need to get off their damn phones with texting and talking while driving, period! That alone imho contributes very heavily to many accidents now. Be safe everyone, and WATCH FOR MOTORCYCLES!</p>
<p></p> Updated statistics on motorcy…tag:ludingtoncitizen.ning.com,2021-07-25:4689834:Comment:13366172021-07-25T16:08:26.848ZWillyhttps://ludingtoncitizen.ning.com/profile/willy
<p><strong>Updated statistics on motorcycle accidents</strong></p>
<p><a rel="nofollow noopener" href="https://roadracerz.com/motorcycle-accident-statistics/" target="_blank">https://roadracerz.com/motorcycle-accident-statistics/</a></p>
<p><strong>Updated statistics on motorcycle accidents</strong></p>
<p><a rel="nofollow noopener" href="https://roadracerz.com/motorcycle-accident-statistics/" target="_blank">https://roadracerz.com/motorcycle-accident-statistics/</a></p> Let's look at this from anoth…tag:ludingtoncitizen.ning.com,2021-07-25:4689834:Comment:13367182021-07-25T15:53:10.329ZWillyhttps://ludingtoncitizen.ning.com/profile/willy
<p>Let's look at this from another view point. Those people riding motorcycles, a dangerous activity, are the ones who caused the grief their families and friends are going through. Why? Because they chose to put themselves at risk, hoping they would be safe because, after all, we all must watch out for them when they are engaged in this risky behavior. No matter what happened, the final responsibility for the safety of a cyclists belongs to the cyclists themselves. From what I have observed…</p>
<p>Let's look at this from another view point. Those people riding motorcycles, a dangerous activity, are the ones who caused the grief their families and friends are going through. Why? Because they chose to put themselves at risk, hoping they would be safe because, after all, we all must watch out for them when they are engaged in this risky behavior. No matter what happened, the final responsibility for the safety of a cyclists belongs to the cyclists themselves. From what I have observed in my many years of driving is that motorcycles are not seen by the car/ truck driver. This has happened to me, both as a cyclist and a car driver. I have been involved in a motor cycle accident as a cyclist, my brother was almost killed while riding his cycle, my niece is still in rehabilitation after being hit while riding a motor cycle. She was hit almost a year ago. No-one is intentionally trying to kill cyclists. Common sense says that these two types of transportation cannot mix without ending in tragedy for the cyclists. People simply do not see them. Period. As far as helmets are concerned, my brother would have died without one. His helmet was split in two and it saved his life. Even so I do not want Government telling people what to do, just like I do not want to be forced to wear a seat belt. This should be up to the individual but if someone is dumb enough not to wear them, then again, they must accept the responsibility for the outcome.</p>
<p>I feel very badly for the families who have lost loved ones who were engaged in this risky, dangerous and unnecessary behavior because they are the ones who are left with the heartache. This is not a conspiracy by automobile drivers who are out to eliminate cyclists.</p>
<div class="et_pb_module et_pb_post_title et_pb_post_title_0_tb_body et_pb_bg_layout_light et_pb_text_align_left"><div class="et_pb_title_container"><h1 class="entry-title"><a href="https://www.hpcbd.com/blog/2021/07/the-staggering-odds-of-dying-in-a-motorcycle-accident/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The staggering odds</a> of dying in a motorcycle accident </h1>
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<div class="et_pb_module et_pb_post_title et_pb_post_title_1_tb_body fl-meta-blog et_pb_bg_layout_light et_pb_text_align_left"><div class="et_pb_title_container"><p class="et_pb_title_meta_container"><span class="author vcard"><a href="https://www.hpcbd.com" title="Posts On Behalf of Hill, Peterson, Carper, Bee & Deitzler, PLLC" rel="author">On Behalf of Hill, Peterson, Carper, Bee & Deitzler, PLLC</a></span> | <span class="published">Jul 19, 2021</span> | <a href="https://www.hpcbd.com/blog/category/motor-vehicle-accidents/" rel="category tag">Motor Vehicle Accidents</a> |</p>
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<div class="et_pb_module et_pb_post_content et_pb_post_content_0_tb_body"><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Any motor vehicle accident can turn fatal. Even vehicles with the absolute best crash test ratings have been involved in deadly crashes. This is a risk that people take on with even the simplest drive to the store or their morning commute.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">That being said, it is fairly stunning to find out how much more likely you are to pass away in a motorcycle wreck compared to other kinds of motor vehicle accidents. Though motorcyclists are involved in far fewer deadly crashes every year than those in other vehicles, the main reason for this is that motorcyclists cover far fewer miles each year and therefore have less exposure to this risk. When you break things down and compare the amount of travel and the number of fatalities among motorcyclists, that’s when the risk becomes clear. </span></p>
<h2>It’s far more than just double the risk</h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Imagine that you had double the risk of being involved in a deadly accident. Would you feel comfortable taking that on? Many people would say no, that they think driving is already too dangerous and they definitely wouldn’t double that risk. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">But the truth is that it’s far higher than that. When running the numbers out based on fatalities per mile, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) claims that “</span><a href="https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/Api/Public/ViewPublication/809908" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span style="font-weight: 400;">motorcyclists are about 32 times</span></a> <span style="font-weight: 400;">more likely than passenger car occupants” to pass away after being involved in a traffic accident. </span></p>
<h2>What if someone else causes the accident?</h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This by no means indicates that the majority of accidents are the motorcyclists’ fault, of course. If you’ve lost a loved one or suffered serious injuries in a motor vehicle accident of any kind, you</span> <a href="https://www.hpcbd.com/motor-vehicle-accidents/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">may be able to seek compensation</span></a> <span style="font-weight: 400;">for your losses. An experienced advocate can help you learn more. </span></p>
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<p></p> The freedom, hair blowing in…tag:ludingtoncitizen.ning.com,2021-07-25:4689834:Comment:13367172021-07-25T11:16:42.315ZFreedom Seekerhttps://ludingtoncitizen.ning.com/profile/FreedomSeeker
The freedom, hair blowing in the wind, but no matter how observant and free a motorcycle driver is without a helmet (or with a helmet) he cannot stop a non-observant driver of a vehicle ten times or more the weight of his cycle turning in front of him.
The freedom, hair blowing in the wind, but no matter how observant and free a motorcycle driver is without a helmet (or with a helmet) he cannot stop a non-observant driver of a vehicle ten times or more the weight of his cycle turning in front of him. Mandatory motorcycle helmets…tag:ludingtoncitizen.ning.com,2021-07-24:4689834:Comment:13367132021-07-24T22:33:22.302ZXLFDhttps://ludingtoncitizen.ning.com/profile/TheLudingtonCitizen
<p>Mandatory motorcycle helmets may seem like a no-brainer, particularly when you see massive head trauma occurring at many accidents, but I believe the ultimate choice should be made by the rider. Michigan stats seem to bear out that allowing choice is a smart idea. For the following stats I use <a href="https://www.michigancapitolconfidential.com/since-motorcycle-helmet-law-repeal-deaths-up-injuries-down" rel="noopener" target="_blank">MSP data</a> to compare the two years before MI invoked…</p>
<p>Mandatory motorcycle helmets may seem like a no-brainer, particularly when you see massive head trauma occurring at many accidents, but I believe the ultimate choice should be made by the rider. Michigan stats seem to bear out that allowing choice is a smart idea. For the following stats I use <a href="https://www.michigancapitolconfidential.com/since-motorcycle-helmet-law-repeal-deaths-up-injuries-down" target="_blank" rel="noopener">MSP data</a> to compare the two years before MI invoked the current no-helmet law 2012 and the last two years on record:</p>
<p>Year MI Motorcycle Accidents </p>
<p>2010 2625 </p>
<p>2011 2512</p>
<p>2017 2225</p>
<p>2018 2120</p>
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<p>The accidents went down significantly, while national <a href="https://www.iii.org/fact-statistic/facts-statistics-motorcycle-crashes" target="_blank" rel="noopener">stats</a> reflect that motorcycle accidents went up nationwide about 4% from 2010-2011 to 2017-2018. I looked at this issue back around 2013 also and it should be in the archives, and I recall that when states repeal helmet laws accident rates tend to go down more than fatality rates go up. The usual idea is that the helmetless rider is more road-aware and less likely to do unsafe maneuvers (other than riding without a helmet).</p> Another sad death and bad rep…tag:ludingtoncitizen.ning.com,2021-07-24:4689834:Comment:13366122021-07-24T01:33:43.975ZFreedom Seekerhttps://ludingtoncitizen.ning.com/profile/FreedomSeeker
<p>Another sad death and bad reporting as to cause of accident. But ... required by law or not, helmets save lives in head injuries just like seatbelts do in cars. Surprising that a fire chief would not wear a helmet, imo. Anyone who rides a bike, motorcycle, or any moving vehicle smaller than a car without a helmet is taking a huge risk with their life, imo. Very sad.…</p>
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<p>Another sad death and bad reporting as to cause of accident. But ... required by law or not, helmets save lives in head injuries just like seatbelts do in cars. Surprising that a fire chief would not wear a helmet, imo. Anyone who rides a bike, motorcycle, or any moving vehicle smaller than a car without a helmet is taking a huge risk with their life, imo. Very sad.</p>
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<p><a href="https://www.michiganautolaw.com/motorcycle-accident-lawyer/michigan-motorcycle-helmet-law/#:~:text=The%20Michigan%20motorcycle%20helmet%20law,to%20wear%20a%20crash%20helmet" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://www.michiganautolaw.com/motorcycle-accident-lawyer/michigan...</a>.</p>
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<p>Interesting link above showing that the repeal of helmets in Michigan had a lot to do with "tourism" .... to be in line with other states who don't require helmets and maybe get a few more tourists. Now that's just greedy for tourist dollars and not safety, imo.</p>