Fatal motorcycle crashes fall 28 percent statewide
Drive up to Alice's Restaurant at highways 35 and 84 in the Santa Cruz Mountains, and you'll often find dozens of motorcyclists enjoying a meal amid the enchanting scent of redwood trees.
Then it's off for a ride on the curvy and often unforgiving narrow roads. But safety officials have reason to believe their efforts are making these and other roads safer for motorcyclists.
Last year, 406 bikers were killed on state roads, a decrease of almost 30 percent from the 586 who died in 2016 and far better than the 5.6 percent drop nationwide.
Only Wyoming, Delaware, Mississippi and the District of Columbia saw bigger drops.
On highways 35 and 84, there were 128 injury collisions involving motorcycles and 2 fatalities last year.
“It's a great ride on Skyline,” said motorcyclist Juan Perez who lives in the Santa Cruz mountains. “But you need to be on alert all the time. Cars crossing the yellow lines, motorcyclists going too fast and kids on cell phones.”
Extra patrols by the California Highway Patrol occur every spring and summer and will occur through September on highways 35 and 84 and across the state. Auto drivers will also be under scrutiny.
“We'll be looking for violations caused by motorcycle riders as well as those not riding a motorcycle,” said CHP Officer Art Montiel. “We are not out to get riders. We want them to ride safely and to do that, we'll be looking for anyone no matter what they are driving that commit violations that put riders' lives at risk.”
That means little tolerance for unsafe speeds, following too closely, unsafe lane changes and improper turning.
But there are still safety worries. More drivers admit to using marijuana, with 12.6 percent of weekend nighttime bikers and drivers testing positive for pot use nationally. This is a 48 percent increase from 2007, according to the Governors Highway Safety Association.
One in four motorcyclist fatalities involve drunk riders, and bikers over the age of 40 whose reflexes aren't as quick as when they were younger now comprise the greatest share of motorcycle deaths. That's a shift from previous years when younger riders were
involved in more fatal crashes.
And driving too fast is a leading cause of motorcycle incidents. Most motorcycle accidents involve no other vehicles.
Bruno Marchon was bicycling on Highway 84 between La Honda and San Gregorio when he was passed by several motorcyclists “going what seemed like speeds upwards of 80 mph. They passed so close to my bike that I felt the shock wave, as if a jet had just passed the sound barrier.”
The Bay Area’s wet winter in 2017 kept some motorcycles parked in the garage, contributing to the drop in fatalities. Better weather leads to more cyclists being on the road year around — and more crashes.
“Clearly, we can’t and shouldn’t rely on bad weather to prevent motorcyclist deaths,” said Tara Powell with the Traffic Injury Research Foundation.
But there are encouraging signs. California is the only state to legalize lane splitting, where motorcyclists can cut between lanes of traffic at speeds below 50 mph, and some bikers say motorists are paying more attention to the lanes when they drive.
On a recent trip down Highway 85, David Katinsky of Los Gatos found motorists giving him space as he split lanes on his motorcycle.
“The courtesy offered by so many drivers as I split my way down the freeway was astounding in making our journey a little safer,” he said.
At least 14 states may adopt lane splitting laws. Those in support of the practice argue it will reduce congestion and is a safer maneuver for motorcycles in avoiding rearend crashes in stop-and-go traffic. A 2015 study at the University of California at Berkeley concluded that it was safe at low speeds.
But, say safety advocates, everyone needs to
pay attention.
John Joss of Los Altos is an experienced motorcyclist, having ridden about 1.4 million miles over the years. But he was badly injured more than a year ago while riding with friends on Carmel Valley Road in Monterey County. Another motorcyclist ahead slowed for gravel and Joss ran into him. He suffered a broken pelvis and hip,
cracked ribs and a punctured lung.
“It was entirely my fault,” Joss said. “An instant’s
inattention.”