Motorcycling fatalities so far in 2024?

[Alex Z]

I don’t know if I’m just noticing them more, but it feels like there have been quite a lot of motorcyclists killed recently, with another fatal accident near the food stop cafe at Quatt/Bridgnorth today.

Are there any statistics available for the year to date, or they only get published some time in 2025?

[Downward]

Alex Z said:

I don’t know if I’m just noticing them more, but it feels like there have been quite a lot of motorcyclists killed recently, with another fatal accident near the food stop cafe at Quatt/Bridgnorth today.

Are there any statistics available for the year to date, or they only get published some time in 2025?

Wonder what happened. It’s only a 40mph limit.

[KurtFlew]

There was one local to me last week, 59 year old rider no other vehicles involved on a country road lined by hedges and ditches. Although a NSL it's only narrow so most people do 40-50 tops. Strange one.

Maybe the aging biker population, albeit older and wiser losing their reaction times and'bounceability' compared to a younger generation.

[the cueball]

Think we’re at 25 deaths in Scotland this year so far..

Some by their own hand and some by other motorists.

Too many though.

Edited by the cueball on Sunday 15th September 18:56

[spoodler]

Rate of attrition around here (N. Wilts) has been absolutely awful this year... or maybe we're all just that much more aware, as we hear via social media and the like rather than just hearsay or on the news... When we started at sixteen, back in the early eighties, I lost several mates to bike accidents - you would probably never know unless you were involved in some way or other. Now we see requests for funeral escorts, supposition on forums, Police statements, etc. Either way, far too many.

[CoolHands]

They always seem to mix in serious injuries to the numbers, so you can’t find the solely fatalities very easily.

[G321]

Downward said:

Alex Z said:

I don’t know if I’m just noticing them more, but it feels like there have been quite a lot of motorcyclists killed recently, with another fatal accident near the food stop cafe at Quatt/Bridgnorth today.

Are there any statistics available for the year to date, or they only get published some time in 2025?

Wonder what happened. It’s only a 40mph limit.

It is 40mph through there. Looks like a kawasaki collided with a Dacia 4x4. Don't know any other circumstances. The biker cafe there closed today so I imagine there would have been a lot of bikes around this morning

[Donbot]

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/reported-...

Down 40% from 2004 to 2022. Though a quick Google looks like it has been up slightly the last couple years. 350 in 2022, 310 2021, 285 2020.

[DirtyHarley]

Definitely feels like more fatalities have been reported in the local 'Kentonline' news over the summer than usual. One week in August was particularly bad with one fatality or seriously injured every single day; what also struck me was that most of them weren't in 'regular' accident spots.

There does seem to be a lot more detritus on the roads this year, and the roads themselves seem very undermaintained too - I wonder if any of this has been a contributory factor at all. Either way, far too many this year.

[RUI488]

When i really properly realised the ‘mobile phone use whilst driving’ rot had set in was when i used to commute in to and out of London on a motorcycle.
As i filtered in slow moving traffic a majority of people were using their ‘phones.

[RJO]

Here in Western Australia the government reports road deaths with a breakdown of city/country car/motorcycle etc, with a concern that overall road deaths are up for this time of year.
Motorcycle deaths have been high in recent years, with one of the factors being that retiring boomers have decided to relive their youth and buy a bike. Most of the boomers that had bikes in their youth, ended up selling them when they married and started a family. Trouble is that modern bikes are so much more powerful and faster than what we rode 45 years ago, so they are crashing them.
Though I am a retired boomer myself, I have ridden bikes continuously over the last fifty years, commuting all year round, which you can do over here as we don't get snow or ice.

[Drawweight]

I’m hoping it’s just a matter of perception.

When I started biking 50 years ago (wow that’s scary) the fatality rate seemed very high. I lost a lot of friends and friends of friends.

Maybe I’m just lucky because in the last couple of decades there have been none.

As has been said if it didn’t directly affect you back then you’d never know.

[Alex Z]

Downward said:

Alex Z said:

I don’t know if I’m just noticing them more, but it feels like there have been quite a lot of motorcyclists killed recently, with another fatal accident near the food stop cafe at Quatt/Bridgnorth today.

Are there any statistics available for the year to date, or they only get published some time in 2025?

Wonder what happened. It’s only a 40mph limit.

It is, but if someone turns across you at 40, or you mistime an overtake and hit someone head on, both are easily fatal.

[Michael_B]

RUI488 said:

When i really properly realised the ‘mobile phone use whilst driving’ rot had set in was when i used to commute in to and out of London on a motorcycle.
As i filtered in slow moving traffic a majority of people were using their ‘phones.

This is rife in continental Europe as well. I rode a total of 700km from Geneva to Ferrara last Thurs/Friday and dozens of drivers (mostly travelling well under the speed limit on motorways and dual carriageways) were texting on their phones. The odd nutter was texting while weaving in and out of lanes 2 and 3 on the Italian autostrade.
I would support a Europe-wide 12 month ban and £3k fine for texting while driving. That might stop some of the fkers.

[Biker9090]

It seems like it's increased.

What I cannot fking abide are the people putting up "bIKeR doWn" posts on Facebook before the family has been informed - rubber neckers.

[KTMsm]

CoolHands said:

They always seem to mix in serious injuries to the numbers, so you can’t find the solely fatalities very easily.

I don't know why people fixate on the fatalities.

There are a lot of injuries that are worse than an instant death IMO - for the rider at least

[nismocat]

What with all these influencers and vloggers posting their bike videos up and complaining "it was not my fault" it's any wonder the stats are high. The standard of riding is shocking.

Whenever I go out now I steer clear of any group of bikers and if anyone can safely keep up with me then I am happy to play. My mate once asked me why I never ride in a group and just fk off, I asked how many times do his mates "fall off" when they go out. He just nodded.

[Time4another]

Every time I read one my heart sinks a little.

Agree that social modia is going to make you much more aware of any deaths. Especially here in Scotland, it's not a big scene and any incident is going to bounce around all the FB groups very quickly.

I'm pretty new to riding but one of the things that shocked me the most was the standard of riding. Folk oblivious to what they are doing. As has already been said, this is usually highlighted on group rides. See certain groups with every other group ride they have, someone has thrown their bike at the scenery.

[Biker 1]

As above.
I went for a ride yesterday morning & spotted 2 different group rides. Lots of revving, showing off & some really sketchy overtaking. Then there was a lone bloke on a BMW properly taking the piss weaving in & out of traffic at 3 figure speeds. I'm surprised that there aren't way more fatalities....

[Gas1883]

I think it’s sometimes us older / born again bikers deciding a fireblade / gsxr1000 is a good idea after 20
Yrs away from bikes
My mate brought a gsxr750 & within weeks ended up in a field , to fast round bend , lost it , across road ( thank god a car wasn’t comming ) , missed road sign by feet , and luckily had a soft landing , but battered / bruised , but still here .
Made me rethink my intention of a sports bike , something sensible to start with seems the sensible thing to do .