Trying to Save on Gas Money May Lead to More Motorcycle Accidents - East Idaho News

Trying to Save on Gas Money May Lead to More Motorcycle Accidents

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getty 121714 motocycleaccident?  SQUARESPACE CACHEVERSION=1418830861289iStock/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — Gasoline prices continue to fall with no bottom in sight, which puts more money in people’s pockets but could also hurt the economy in the long run if the supply of oil far exceeds demand.

However, when gasoline prices were way over three dollars a gallon, as they were for a number of years, it may have resulted in more people driving motorcycles and subsequently, more deaths and injuries from bike crashes.

A study in the journal Injury Prevention doesn’t provide a definitive cause-and-effect link. Yet, an analysis of California motorcycle registrations between 2002 and 2011 suggests that higher gas prices can be correlated to an increase in deaths and injuries as more inexperienced drivers took to the roads on bikes.

Most accidents occurred during the afternoon in urban areas. In 93 percent of the crashes, the cyclists were men with more than two-thirds white and almost half middle-aged.

Another big problem: 20 percent of those hurt in motorcycle crashes were uninsured.


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