Military Motorcycle Deaths

It was reported at the end of last month that motorcycle accidents stateside have killed more Marines than has combat in Iraq in the last 12 months. Twenty-five Marines have been killed on motorcycles since November 2007 while 20 have been killed in combat operations in Iraq. The Navy has seen a 65 percent jump in motorcycle accident deaths to 33 this year. Though the officers in the Marines, as well as the Navy, see this as the number one noncombat-related problem, and are searching for solutions, questions of “why” continue.

Most of the deaths occur on sports bikes, such as the Kawasaki Ninja. These sports bikes are sleek and can reach speeds as high as 120 mph. There is a certain rush that comes when going down the road at high rates of speed. On a darker note, many war veterans talk about the rush they received while in combat and about how coming back to either wait for another deployment or to their civilian lives is mundane. This is one of the reasons some of these veterans decide to get motorcycles that go fast. It’s obviously a different high than combat, they say, but at least it’s something. Two other factors that might play into this are that these are mostly younger people between 19 and 25, and many have lots of combat pay burning holes in their pocket.

What these young soldiers are missing is motorcycle training. Most of them have no idea how to control a bike like this, and wind up losing control. They also may not realize that because they are so small and can go so fast, other vehicles may not see them until it is too late.

It is estimated that there are nearly 18,000 Marines out of 200,000 who own and ride motorcycles. For many years the Marine Corps have had a basic mandatory riding course. But this is aimed at the basic motorcycle, too. The solution was to add a second class aimed at the sports bikes favored by the troops. They are also looking at further ways to reduce accidents and deaths. One thing that is being considered is punishment. If a Marine is caught riding on or off base and has not gone through the training, they will be punished. It is believed these classes are working. Over 300 men and women have taken the course, and there have only been three accidents.

If you or a loved one has been injured in a motorcycle accident in the Tulsa or Oklahoma City, Oklahoma or Fort Smith, Arkansas area, please contact the experienced motorcycle accident attorneys at Carr & Carr.