Industry to bikers: "Take It Easy"

MILWAUKEE — As Sean Mizlo lay in a hospital bed last summer, he wondered if he'd ever ride a motorcycle again. He knew he could, even though doctors had just removed his left leg above the knee. But would he want to?

"When I first said I was going to ride again, everyone said, 'Are you nuts?' " said Mizlo, 36, of Orion, Ill. "But it's just something you've got to do."

As motorcycle makers report record sales 14 years in a row, the industry and the government are looking to curb a rising number of injuries and deaths. They are encouraging motorcyclists to ride sober, wear protective gear such as helmets, take training courses and get licensed.

Riders attending this month's Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in South Dakota were being reminded to "Take It Easy" in ads and banners sponsored by the Motorcycle Safety Foundation, an industry group.

But industry experts and the government say other factors complicate things. Riders are getting older, riding more miles on rural roads and drinking more. And the rising number of riders also is making it harder to get into training programs, they say.

Motorcycle sales were up 11 percent in the first six months of this year, and interest continues because of high gas prices, the Motorcycle Industry Council said.

"A big part of what you need to look at is the simple fact that there are lot more motorcycles on the road," said Bob Klein, spokesman for Milwaukee-based Harley-Davidson. It sold 154,041 motorcycles in the first half of the year, up about 7 percent from the previous year.

Motorcycles accounted for 2 percent of all registered vehicles in 2004 but made up 9.4 percent of all highway deaths, up from 5 percent in 1997, according to government statistics.

In 2004, 4,008 people died on motorcycles, up 8 percent from the previous year's 3,714 deaths, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. At the same time, total traffic deaths dropped less than 1 percent to 42,636.

Preliminary numbers from last year show a 7.7 percent increase in motorcycle fatalities, the NHTSA reports.

"Every fatality is huge to us, because in almost all cases they're completely preventable," said Tim Buche, president of the Motorcycle Safety Foundation.

More than half of the time, other vehicles are involved in crashes and the majority of those are the other vehicle's fault, Buche said. He cited the recent accident of Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who collided with a car in June, breaking his jaw and nose. He was cited for riding without a license and not wearing a helmet.

"He chose not to wear some important gear. That gear would have lessened the severity of his injuries," Buche said. "But the crash should never have happened. A car pulled out in front of him."

Mizlo spent years pining for a Harley-Davidson and finally bought one in June 2004. Less than a month later, he was hit by an underage, drunken driver going through an intersection. He wasn't wearing a helmet and had never taken a training course, though he said he grew up on dirt bikes and smaller motorcycles, and knew how to ride.

Within a year, he was back on his bike, which had been repaired and outfitted with a third wheel for extra stability. He marked the one-year anniversary of the crash last month by riding with friends. He was surprised when many of them decided to buy bikes.

"I was kind of shocked. Even with what happened to me, people are buying them," Mizlo said.

He said he's thinking about taking a training course to refresh his skills.

This year's Motorcycle Safety Plan by NHTSA encourages riders to get training, whether they're new or experienced. Buche's foundation operates hundreds of courses a year, with new ones targeting baby boomers who face problems with night vision and slower reaction time. The average biker's age has jumped to 40.2 years old in 2003 from 28.5 in 1985, the Motorcycle Safety Foundation said.

But with all the new riders, it can be difficult to secure a spot. Many states report they're able to help only 60 percent who want to take courses, he said.

The government recognizes the backlog in training programs, said Rae Tyson, spokesman for NHTSA. It recently announced a grant program that will provide up to $25 million over four years to states that offer training courses and meet other criteria.

"In a lot of the places the waiting list is lengthy and people get impatient," said Tyson, himself a rider.

"They buy a new motorcycle and they want to ride it. They don't want to wait six months to go through a training program."