WFTV 9 in Florida is reporting that Bike Week has already racked up two fatal motorcycle accidents.
Bike Week is a massive event. It gets a lot of attention. And it’s a shame that attention always includes articles focusing on Bike Week fatalities. Even this article closes by noting the eight deaths last year.
The two accidents cited here aren’t attributable to wild Bike Week partying. One rider lost control in a corner and the other had a vehicle pull out and collide with him — the most common cause of single vehicle and multiple vehicle motorcycle crashes, respectively. These accidents could have happened anywhere. They do happen anywhere, every single day.
Still, I wish someone at Bike Week would take a more active interest in motorcycle safety. The annual BMW MOA Rally, which draws a fraction of the Bike Week attendees, often has motorcycle rider training available. (In fact, the BMW MOA home page is currently asking for MSF-certified RiderCoaches to facilitate some ERC classes.)
I couldn’t find a single event listed on the Bike Week site that was focused on improving rider skills. Why not? I can’t believe that they wouldn’t fill up some ERCs in a heartbeat, given the number of people at Bike Week. Come on, Bike Week organizers, it wouldn’t be the end of the world is some of your guests spent a few hours at a motorcycle class instead of a bar, right?
(And if there is some kind of rider training available, then you need a serious redesign of your website. Actually, a redesign wouldn’t hurt either way.)