"The Pitt," The Boss, and the Bike: A Candid Look at Motorcycle Safety

Want to Arrive? Dress for the Slide! 

Motorcycle fatalities are 24x higher per mile than in autos, but you can improve your odds with full-face helmet to guard against head trauma, airbag vests to protect neck and torso, and most of all: situational awareness. https://bit.ly/4tyU033

In This Episode:

• 00:00 - Intro: Beyond the "Suicide Machine" – The Reality of the Ride
• 02:34 - The Last Ride: David Ritter’s Poetic Tribute to Fallen Riders
• 03:33 - The Risk Assessment: Dr. Robby’s Sabbatical and Survival Odds
• 05:03 - The Anatomy of Danger: Speed, Skill, and Vulnerability on Two Wheels
• 10:57 - Armor for the Slide: Why Quality Gear is Your Best Insurance Policy
• 12:53 - Protect the Processor: The Critical Role of Helmets in Impact Survival
• 17:09 - Road Awareness: Identifying and Avoiding the Primary Causes of Crashes
• 19:53 - Outro: Every Mile is a Gift – Ride Accordingly

#MotorcycleSafety #HelmetLaws #TraumaticBrainInjury #PublicHealth #RoadSafety #MotorcycleLife #InjuryPrevention #EndOfLifeEducation #EveryoneDiesPodcast #SafetyFirst #MotorcycleAwareness #ThinkBeforeYouRide

Transcript

Hello and welcome to Everyone Dies. Relax and settle in for our podcast about serious illness, dying, death, and bereavement. Because even though everyone dies, no one must face it unprepared.

This week we're talking about motorcycle riding and whether Dr. Robby should go on his sabbatical. Now we're recording this before that episode is released, so we really don't know what's going to happen. So we don't know what the pit has planned, but we're going to go with it and tell you what we have learned about motorcycle riding.

I'm Marianne Matzo, a nurse practitioner, and I use my experience from working as a nurse for 47 years to help answer your questions about what happens at the end of life. And I'm Charlie Navarrette, an actor in New York City, and here to offer an every-person viewpoint to our podcast. We're both here because we believe that the more you know, the better prepared you are to make difficult decisions.

And remember, this podcast does not provide medical or legal advice. Please listen to the complete disclosure at the end of the recording. In the first half, Charlie has a poem, actually a classic poem, about motorcycle riding and our recipe of the week.

In the second half, I have an essay about motorcycle riding and some of the dangers involved with it. And in the third half, Charlie has insight into key causes of motorcycle crashes. Our first half is our funeral lunch recipe this week for motorcycle cheese crisps, crispy, buttery, and of course cheesy appetizer that is sure to be a hit for all in attendance.

Gone Riding is a vibrant and evocative poem that celebrates the enduring spirit of a motorcycle enthusiast. With vivid imagery and a hopeful tone, David Ritter transforms the pain of loss into a celebration of life lived to the fullest. The poem is a poignant tribute to a loved one whose passion for riding continues to inspire those left behind.

The poem is called Gone Riding. Don't cry for me, I still ride free, with the wind upon my face, leather in black, the sun on my back, a priceless gift of God's grace. I'll never grow old on these streets of gold, chasing a majestic sunset, and I still recall how I love you all, sweet memories I won't forget.

And when the road ends, we'll meet again, inside the pearly gates, and we'll laugh a while, and go ride for miles, but for now, heaven can wait. When you do get here, don't shed one tear, and think that I'm in hiding, just search heaven's shore where engines roar, and you'll find that I've gone riding. Please go to our webpage for this week's recipe for motorcycle cheese crisps and additional resources for this program.

This is the part where we ask for your financial support. Your tax-deductible gifts will go directly to supporting our non-profit journalism so that we can remain accessible to everyone. You can donate at www.everyonedies.org or at our site on Patreon under Everyone Dies.

Marianne? Many people have enjoyed the weekly releases of The Pit, the HBO drama about the emergency department in a large city hospital. Of the many storylines is Dr. Robbie and his planned three-month sabbatical on a vintage motorcycle, which he rides with no helmet. The other characters in the show are not at all subtle about their thoughts about his long motorcycle trip without a helmet.

It's an emergency room, after all, and they're called donor cycles for a reason. All season, Dr. Robbie has made references to not coming back from his trip. Many social media threads have spent a fair amount of time discussing whether Dr. Robbie is suicidal and plans to crash his bike to end his life.

So today we're going to talk about the risks of riding a motorcycle. The fun is in the freedom you feel, zipping around on a Harley, wind in your hair, grass in your teeth. As the boss wrote, in the day we sweated out on the streets on a runaway American dream.

At night we ride through the mansions of glory in suicide machines, sprung from cages on Highway 9, chrome wheeled, fuel injected, and stepping out over the line. Oh baby, this town rips the bones from your back. It's a death trap.

It's a suicide rap. We gotta get out while we're young because tramps like us, baby, we were born to run. But before you strap your hands across my engines and Dr. Robbie is off on his trip, we have some things we want you to consider.

If you want to live out your complete lifespan, riding a motorcycle, especially without a helmet, is not the way to accomplish this goal. Motorcycles make up less than four percent of all registered vehicles in the United States, yet they account for a huge portion of crash deaths. Recent traffic fatality statistics reveal that motorcycles represent nearly 15 percent of all roadway fatalities each year.

An estimated 6,000 motorcyclist deaths were reported annually between 2022 and 2023. This number remains steady, signaling persistent risks despite advances in vehicle safety. Comparing risk levels, riding a motorcycle is significantly more dangerous than driving or riding in a passenger vehicle.

Motorless fatality rates are roughly 24 times higher per mile traveled compared to occupants in cars and trucks. The striking difference highlights the vulnerability riders face and why understanding motorcycle fatalities is essential for anyone on the road. Speed-related crashes account for 35 percent of all crashes and can occur in a variety of ways, including riding too fast for weather condition, roadway features, for example, gravel in corners or seams in the road, response time to changing traffic, or personal skill level.

Data indicates that the average speed of motorcycle accidents on impact is roughly 30 miles per hour or 48 kilometers per hour, but it's important to remember that this is typically the speed recorded after the driver has applied some type of emergency braking pressure or maneuver. Motorcycle accident prevention in speed-related crashes is pretty easy. It doesn't matter how clear the roads are or how much control you have over your bike.

Excessive speed is a danger to yourself and other roadway users. Unlicensed motorcycle riders are another high-risk group with about 36 percent of motorcyclists involved in fatal crashes operating without a valid motorcycle license at the time of their accident. Riding without proper training and certification leaves these individuals less prepared for emergency situations, making them more vulnerable to risky riding behaviors and tragic mistakes.

I know, Duncan, but they need to hear about this. The 25 to 34 year old age group reports the highest fatality rate among all riders. Young adult men show a greater tendency for risky behaviors such as speeding or riding without proper licensing.

Now, I have to intervene here and tell you about the most scary situation that I saw, and I was in Oklahoma. I was driving down the highway, and on the other side of the highway, I see this guy on a motorcycle. You know, on a highway, people start and stop, and there's, you know, oil slick and all that, so he's riding down with no hands on his handlebars, and I just got this sinking feeling in my chest, and I thought, oh my god, like somebody has to go save this man, and you know how you move on a highway, you know, you go pretty fast, that's sort of the whole point, and I don't know if there was an accident, but I swear that's just a vision that I'll always have in my head and how scared I felt for that guy.

Riders over age 50 now account for a rising share of fatal crashes, a trend attributed to both increased participation and challenges associated with physical decline, slower reaction times, and sometimes outdated safety habits, and in my working in oncology at the VA hospital, I quite a few guys that had motorcycles, and as they went through their chemotherapy, they got increasingly weak, and when I would talk with them, they would talk about their goal, their goal would be to be able to get back on their motorcycle, and I would talk with them about, you know, if you dumped your motorcycle, and they've, you know, they would say, yeah, that happened, and you know, you know, they're embarrassed that when that had happened, and that now sometimes they'll just go in their garage and sit on their motorcycle, and that's sad, but actually it's better that they sit on it in their garage than try to ride it when they don't have the physical strength to really hold it up, and if you haven't ridden a motorcycle or driven one, they're heavy, and you've got to be able to, you know, have the physical strength to kind of hold them up and and manage them. I mean, once they get going, they don't feel so heavy, but that initial start and stop, or if you're at a stoplight, you have to be able to manage the machine, and if you're really sick or really weak, that's hard to do. Men account for 92% of motorcycle fatalities, and this number has remained steady in recent years, highlighting that motorcycle riding remains a male-dominated activity.

Motorcycle riders face injury risks that are different compared to drivers in enclosed vehicles. The lack of protected barrier means that even low-speed collisions can lead to severe consequences. So what are the most frequent types of injuries? Well, broken bones, especially of the wrists, arms, legs, and ribs.

The force from the impact or being thrown from a bike almost always results in some form of broken bone. Road rash. Sliding across pavement without protection causes deep abrasions known as road rash.

These can range from scrapes to severe wounds that require skin grafts. So if you see people on their motorcycle wearing shorts, short-sleeved shirts, that kind of thing, you know, they're not in the right protective gear. They should have jeans on or the leather chaps.

They should have long-sleeved shirts. They should have a leather jacket to protect them because if you're in a pair of shorts, there's nothing to protect your skin from the road. Traumatic brain injuries, TBIs.

Head injuries remain the leading cause of death and disability after a motorcycle accident. Even with moderate speeds, an unprotected head striking pavement or another vehicle can result in concussions, skull fractures, or more severe forms of TBI. Lower extremity trauma.

Injuries to legs, knees, ankles, feet are especially common due to their exposure during a crash. Pelvic fractures and crushing injuries often occur when a rider's leg is caught between the bike and another object. Chest and abdominal injuries.

Blunt force impacts frequently lead to rib fractures, internal bleeding, or organ damage. Injuries that can be fatal without immediate medical intervention. Wearing a helmet remains the single most effective way to reduce fatal head injuries in motorcycle accidents.

Here's what we know from the accident data. Helmet effectiveness in motorcycle safety. Helmets reduce the risk of fatal injury by 37% for riders and 41% for passengers, which should make helmet use critical.

Full face helmets offer additional protection for the jaw and facial bones, which are otherwise exposed during impact. Jackets with armor inserts, reinforced gloves, padded pants, and boots also play vital roles in minimizing broken bones and soft tissue injuries. Strict adherence to quality gear requirements gives riders a fighting chance against some of the worst outcomes.

Given what we know about the effectiveness of wearing a helmet, why have 33 states repealed their mandatory motorcycle helmet laws? Well, it's not about one single factor, but it's a result of policy changes, political pressure, and competing values. Safety versus personal freedom. I've heard bikers say it's not as much fun to ride when you're wearing a helmet.

Fun aside, repealing a Michigan law that required motorcycle riders to wear helmets resulted in a 26% average increase in hospital costs per crash, per patient, researchers Johnson and colleagues recently reported in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons. In many cases, these riders are uninsured or underinsured. So the hospitals are responsible for covering the increased costs, which amount to about $4.5 million a year.

The repeal of the helmet law in Arkansas saw a proportion of motorcycle fatalities that were not wearing a helmet increased from 47% to 78%. Indebriated motorcyclists killed in crashes were overwhelmingly non-helmeted, up from 38% to 87% after the repeal. These findings suggest that a repeal of the mandatory helmet law has had significant harmful effects on road safety.

But I suppose if you can feel the wind in your hair and are having fun, the risk is justified, right? Head trauma is the leading cause of death in motorcycle crashes, followed by chest and spinal injuries, often exacerbated by speeding, impaired driving, and hazardous road conditions. So what are the causes of death from motorcycle accidents? Well, head trauma, the traumatic brain injuries, are the most common cause of death among motorcyclists. These injuries typically occur when a rider's head strikes the ground, another vehicle, nearby objects, during a crash.

Studies have shown that 85% of riders who die in motorcycle accidents have a TBI, and even with helmets, high-speed or high-impact collisions can be fatal. Second cause of death is chest or thoracic injuries. Injuries to the chest, including damage to the heart and lungs, are another major contributor to fatalities.

Blunt force trauma from collisions can be life-threatening, and survival often depends on immediate access to trauma care. And third are spinal cord injuries. Spinal injuries, particularly in the cervical area, that's up by your neck, C1 through C4, can result in death within minutes due to damage to the spinal cord.

These injuries are often disastrous and occur when a rider is thrown from the motorcycle or pinned under a vehicle. Charlie has the primary causes of motorcycle crashes to consider. I hope Dr. Rabi will reconsider his trip before Season 3. Charlie? So, key causes of motorcycle crashes.

1. Speeding. Excessive speed is a leading factor in motorcycle accidents. It reduces a rider's reaction time and increases the severity of crashes.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, NHTSA, speeding contributes to about a third of all traffic-related fatalities, with motorcyclists being particularly vulnerable. 2. Alcohol and drug use. Drunkenness significantly impairs a rider's ability to make sound decisions and react quickly.

In 2020, 27% of riders involved in fatal crashes were found to be alcohol impaired. Riders under the influence increases the risk of accidents dramatically. 3. Distracted driving.

Distractions, whether from other drivers or the rider themselves, can lead to severe accidents. Common distractions include texting, adjusting GPS, or even chatting while riding. A moment of inattention can result in catastrophic consequences.

4. Loss of control. Many motorcycle crashes occur due to loss of control, often worsened by speeding or poor road conditions. Riders must maintain a high level of awareness and control as motorcycles are less stable than cars.

5. Breaking traffic rules. Ignoring traffic signals, failing to use turn signals, and other violations can lead to serious accidents. Riders who do not follow basic traffic laws increase their risk of collisions with other vehicles.

6. Untrained riders. A significant percentage of motorcycle accidents involve riders who lack proper training or licensing. Approximately 36% of fatal motorcycle accidents involve riders without a valid motorcycle license.

In conclusion, understanding these common causes can help riders take proactive measures to enhance their safety on the road by adhering to speed limits, avoiding alcohol, staying focused, and ensuring proper training, motorcyclists can significantly reduce their risk of accidents. Please drink responsibly. And please stay tuned for the continuing saga of Everyone Dies, and thank you for listening.

You can find more episodes on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or your favorite podcast app. Follow and subscribe to the show. Share it with someone who rides a motorcycle.

This is Charlie Navarrette, and from film director Julia DiRigonneau, doctors have this very upfront yet distant way of talking about bodies and death. And I'm Marianne Matzo, and we'll see you next week. Remember, every day is a gift.

This podcast does not provide medical advice. All discussion on this podcast, such as treatments, dosages, outcomes, charts, patient profiles, advice, messages, and any other discussion are for informational purposes only, and are not a substitute for professional medical advice or treatment. Always seek the advice of your primary care practitioner or other qualified health providers with any questions that you may have regarding your health.

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