Say it ain’t so, Harry…
By John Davis • Sep 6th, 2006 • Category: Northwest Cycle News HeadlinesAn otherwise excellent article from the Clark County Columbian quotes none other than Harry Hurt, Motorcyclist magazine’s Motorcyclist of the Year, as follows:
Hurt says the sharp climb in motorcycle fatalities is “an identifiable mess” that can be laid to “boozed-up older motorcycle riders on large bikes.”
“What they’re not buying is a small motorcycle but a great big one, and after that they add a six-pack to the back.”
Wow.
John Davis is the owner, editor and publisher of Northwest Cycle Report. John also owns and writes for MotoSkagit.com and is the administrator for the Washington 120 State Park Tour. In addition to his own sites, John is a contributing author for MotorcycleLife.com and Motorcyclebloggers.com. He lives in Mount Vernon, WA and rides a candy-red Honda VTX1800 Retro.
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What exactly is your objection to Dr Hurt’s statement?
I believe it was on this site that you quoted a recent WSP talking points memo about older riders (returning baby boomers) being involved in more accidents. And the statistics of Alcohol involvement in rider fatalities speak for themselves.”
Alcohol involvement in rider fatalities is appalling. I consider such incidents suicides (or homicides if a passenger is killed) and think that they should be excluded from the fatality statistics.
My objection to Dr. Hurt’s statement is the sweeping generality of it. I expected more from such an educated and influential person. His statement is a clever, throw-away sound bite when he could have made a meaningful point.
Not all “older riders on large bikes”, I fall into the 40+ demographic and ride an 1800cc cruiser, are “boozed up.” His statement makes it sound as if that were true. I want to think it was not Dr. Hurt’s intent, but his statement plays into the “drunken biker” image that so many of us are trying to diminish. I think it was a poorly thought-out statement.
Yes, a large percentage of the riders who die are drunk. That doesn’t make the rest of us the same.