Mayhem on Motorcycles

"There was a large laceration of his scalp and injury to his brain," reported Surgeon James C. Drye of Louisville. "His right lung was torn and there was a fair amount of blood in his chest. His spleen was ruptured and bleeding. There were about three quarts of blood in his abdomen. His left leg was almost amputated. His pelvis was fractured. He was not hit by an artillery shell in Viet Nam, as one might think from the extent of his injuries. He was wounded while riding a motorbike on the streets of our community."

The same sort of report, published by the American College of Surgeons, could have come from any city in the country. The number of motorcycles and motor scooters on U.S. roads has doubled in three years to a current total of more than 1,250,000. Sales are still accelerating, and the number of accidents is mounting faster than the number of vehicles. Deaths increased from 882 in 1963 to 1,118 in 1964 to 1,580 last year, and are expected to reach 1,900 this year. The fatality rate for cycle riders and their "buddy seat" pals is five times that of automobile occupants.

Leather Is Best. The major reason for the recent increase, says Robert O'Donnell of the Greater New York Safety Council, is the inexperience of new motorcycle owners. "The pro in cycling wears durable clothing, such as leathers, and a proper helmet, and never has bare arms or legs. He knows how to handle his machine--in contrast with the put-put crowd in the go-go set. The most serious accidents happen to these people, who are not sufficiently skilled and drive around without proper equipment."

Motorcycle injuries have become so numerous that emergency-room doctors and trauma surgeons now rate them as epidemic, and they are, on the average, far more devastating than those that result from car crashes. "If you have your seat belt fastened and drive into a stone wall at 15 m.p.h.," says O'Donnell, "the car will be a mess but there won't be much damage to you. If you do that on a motorcycle, you get thrown against the brick wall, which is ruinous to flesh and bone." Since the rider is usually projected headfirst, like a missile, says Manhattan's Dr. Robert H. Kennedy, the most severe and common injuries, those that cause 70% of the deaths, are to the head. A properly designed helmet is essential for cycle safety, but many riders wear inadequate helmets or none at all. Nonfatal head injuries have caused countless cases of disfigurement, paralysis and blindness. Crippling from loss or mutilation of arms and legs is common.

California, which leads the nation with 250,000 registered cycles, compiled a grisly record in 1965 with 263 fatal accidents (some involving more than one death) for motorcycles and 13 for scooters. Ironically, the accident rate is lower on California's roaring freeways than at the low speeds of snaking mountain roads or intersections of Los Angeles' labyrinthine streets. In New York City, the very density of traffic slows cycles to a crawl and lowers the accident rate still further. Wet pavements are even worse on two wheels than on four: San Francisco makes its motorcycle cops dismount and climb into cars when it rains.

Death Is Inevitable. While it insists that the cycles and scooters are not inherently dangerous, the National Safety Council emphasizes that they are dangerous indeed when driven by inexperienced riders. It now advocates special testing and licensing--which presupposes special training.

Doctors are the first to agree. "As things are now," says a University of Michigan research group, "the motorcycle safety situation is just about hopeless." Says Louisville Surgeon Drye: "The motorbike is fun to ride, convenient and cheap, but is it worth the inevitable mayhem, death and economic loss? If you think so, get your son a motorbike for his 'last birthday.' If this sounds bitter, it is because I was operating on that boy when he died."

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