Older motorcyclists getting injured more frequently

On Behalf of | Oct 20, 2017 | Motorcycle Accidents |

All of Florida, including the Tampa area, is known as being a great place for people both originally from Florida, as well as transplants from other parts of the country, to retire. What this means is that Florida has a lot of seniors on the roads, and these could include Baby Boomers who, for the first time, grew up riding motorcycles since they were a fad at that time.

What this means is that a lot of older motorcyclists may be on Florida’s roads, and this presents a special danger with respect to motorcycle accidents, at least according to one interpretation of a report put out by the American Automobile Association, or AAA.

According to the report, when looking at the period starting in 2007 and going back to 1998, the number of riders over 60 who experienced significant injuries, that is, injuries serious enough to get reported, quadrupled from about 2,000 per year to about 8,000 per year. On a similar note, the number of bikers between 50 and 59 who got hurt on the road went up by 150 percent during the same period of time.

Some experts attributed this trend to the fact that many older riders are on their second go-around with a motorcycle. They rode them in their youth, but then did not ride for years or even decades as they raised their families. What this means is that drivers are getting on the road without a lot of recent experience and, due to aging, a decreased ability to react to road hazards.

However, while continuing education and care is always a good idea, it is important also remember that many if not most motorcycle accidents are not the fault of the motorcyclist. What this means is that an older biker is, in particular, counting on other vehicles to watch out for him or her because he or she is likely to suffer severe injuries if they do not, simply because as people age, trauma takes heavier toll on the body.

Archives

attorneys Brad Culpepper and Brett J. Kurland