The summer travel season is peak time for passionate motorcycle riders and after a brutal winter, they’re anxious to make the most of every mile. Progressive’s 2014 motorcycle claims data revealed that:
• Four of the top 10 days with the highest claims for Progressive motorcycle customers fall in June.
• Summer months – June, July and August – are when most motorcycle accidents happen, and Saturdays are the most dangerous days to ride. In fact, the top five days of the year with the most motorcycle claims are all Saturdays throughout the summer.
• July is one of the most dangerous months for motorcycle riders, with the average number of claims being 78 percent higher in that month than the average for the rest of the year.
• In 2014, there were more single-vehicle motorcycle claims than any other type. Progressive data shows there were more single-vehicle claims than the next three types put together which include rear-end accidents, intersection accidents and stolen motorcycles.
This claims data is mishandled by the marketing folks and as-is represents pure misinformation.
Reading this, one would assume that riding on a June Saturday is as deadly as a Taliban frontal attack. After all these are the “most dangerous days to ride”. Scary!
More people ride in the summer, and even more people ride on weekends, especially Saturdays. The fact that most motorcycle accidents happen on those days, says nothing about the danger level. In fact, cleaning up the data by miles ridden and rider experience, those days may be the SAFEST to ride. There simply is not enough data presented above to make any claim on danger levels.
I can understand when the marketing folks take some data and issue press releases that sound interesting. Errors happen, after all they are not actuaries. Still, I wish they’d let someone who understands the basics of the insurance business proof-read.
What is telling is the number of single vehicle accidents. The data would suggest that motorcycle riders are their own worst enemy, not inattentive automobile drivers as is often stated to be the case. Interesting.
Agree with Nedim. This is some watered-down information. Even the fairest of the fair weather riders are on the roads in July. Of course there’s more accidents when there are more out riding. C’mon Flo, you can do better than that.
Chris has it Spot-on.
RE:
“…What is telling is the number of single vehicle accidents…”
The vast majority of the riding public thing bicycle riding qualifies as riding experience.
When in fact they are clueless.
That video of the ruck head-on tells it the way it is. What you saw was essentially a “single vehicle accident.” The truck was simply an innocent bystander.
-nicker-
All the safety experts we’ve had on our show in the past state the same thing – single accidents went up in 2014 and overall account for a hefty number incidents. The type of bike had nothing to do with it.
The other interesting thing we have learned is the highest increase amongst age demographics are among re-entry riders as in Baby Boomers entering back into the riding world. These riders think they know how to ride so they put off training yet ride like they did 30 years ago.
The combination of higher horse powered bikes and slower reaction times leads to bad things…Much like a heroin addict who stopped using and after one year of sobriety slips and goes out and purchase the exact same amount they did before they stopped using. Well we all know how that ends don’t we?
Point is when you start riding again get educated get trained and don’t buy more than you can handle.
RE:
“…amongst age demographics are among re-entry riders as in Baby Boomers entering back into the riding world …”
The only statistic you have on “re-entry riders” is their word that they actually had any previous experience. All you baby boomers, think back, how many motorcycles were actually parked in your High school parking lot…???
I was in the first freshman class at Governor Livingston, a huge new regional school in New Jersey.
It drew Boomer kids from all over the region. That 1st year, there were NO (none, zerow, zilsh) motorcycles in the parking lot.
After moving to CA and enrolling in a small community High School where we had may be 10 to bikes parked in the designated motorcycle parking on any given day, i learned how small the US motorcycle community really was. In Europe where i was born the motorcycle racers ware national heroes. But even in Northern CA few people knew who Dick Mann was…. and he only lived a few miles away…!!!!
My point is simply this…. Motorcycling as a “general population (mainstream?) activity” is a relatively modern phenomenon in the US. In the past it drew a relatively few people who were interested enough in the activity to learn the skills required to both participate and survive.
And so one can tell all the stories about what ya “used to do” when you were a kid, but when you get in a little over your head and there’s a truck cumming at ya. You better know how to actually ride that bike…. not just talk about it…… Most don’t…..
-nicker-
In some places June, July, August & September
are the ONLY times people get to ride.
Most of the country is not blessed
with the majority of 365 days to ride like Cali. the Southwest & Fla.
June is the most dangerous month ?
Lots of new folks on new bikes,
mandatory rider training would solve most of that problem
Training, knowledge, practice = longevity, not helmets ….
This just in, they just released data that Auto Accidents due to sliding on Ice increase in the winter
and during or just after a big winter ice storm shows a significant increase in accidents….