According to a recent report compiled by the American Automobile Association, or AAA, the number of older, Baby Boomer motorcyclists who suffer significant or catastrophic injuries in a motorcycle accident has increased significantly over the past several years.
The same report also notes an overall increase in motorcycle-related fatalities, to their highest level since before the 2008 economic collapse. One reason for this increase, however, is that there are just more motorcycles on the road. In 2016, there were 8.6 million registered motorcycles, whereas in 2014, that number was 8.4 million.
Among people over 50, however, the number of injuries shot up disproportionately. For instance, between the late 1990s and 2007, the number of motorcyclists older than 60 who got hurt significantly in a motorcycle accident went from 2,000 to 8,000, while the number of people between 50 and 59 who got hurt also increased considerably, by 150 percent.
The number of motorcycle-related deaths among older riders has also shown an upward trend. For instance, between 2015 and 2016, motorcycle deaths among people over 60 rose over 20 percent with over 150 more people dying as a result of a motorcycle accident.
While the lesson for older motorcyclists who like to take their bikes out on the roads around Cincinnati and on the open highways of Ohio is to be cautious, it is important to remember that many motorcycle accidents are not the biker’s fault but the responsibility of a negligent driver. Moreover, the fact that a person suffered more extensive injuries than he or she would have were she younger has little to no bearing on whether they can get compensation for their injuries or how much compensation they can get.
