If you are age 55 or older and just getting into riding motorcycles or coming back to biking after being out of it for a few years you may have a greater chance of being injured in an accident while riding. Traffic safety consultant James Hedlund notes that while older riders may be more careful than younger ones, the older riders have slower reflexes and their vision isn’t as good as it once was. Additionally, the bodies are more fragile and the same impact will cause more damage to a 55-year old than a 25-year old.
Older riders either just starting or getting back into biking may want to consider taking a refresher course. Just because you rode twenty years ago doesn’t mean you can pick right up where you left off. Compounding the issue is the fact that today’s motorcycles are considerably more powerful that the ones made twenty years ago.
The number of deaths per mile traveled was twenty six times higher for motorcycles than for cars. And remember, paying medical bills for motorcycle crashes is different than paying them from car accidents. So what can a biker do to protect himself? Wear a helmet, wear reflective clothing and ride like your life depends on it because it does.
