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Hurt Report: Part 5 – Motorcycle Accident Injuries

The paper “Motorcycle Accident Cause Factors and Identification of Countermeasures" is known as “The Hurt Report”. It is the only comprehensive study ever done about the causes of motorcycle accidents on American roads and highways. The study was directed by Dr. Hugh H. Hurt at the University of Southern California in 1979. Although, 30 years have passed since the study was published, its findings remain relevant.

The Hurt report was so detailed, that the findings must be split into several articles. In this article, I will describe the findings that relate to injuries caused by motorcycle accidents.

Findings from the Hurt Report:

1. Fuel system leaks or fuel spills occur in sixty two percent of motorcycle accidents. This increases the risk of fire at the accident scene and the risk for serious burn injury.

2. Motorcycle accidents are more likely to cause injuries than other motor vehicle accidents: 98% of multiple vehicle collisions and 96% of single vehicle accidents result in some kind of injury to the motorcyclists. In 45% of accidents, the injury is serious.

3. Half of motorcyclist injuries involve the legs – specifically, the ankle- foot, lower leg, knee, and thigh-upper leg.

4. Crash bars reduce injury to the ankle-foot, but they increase the risk of injury to the thigh, upper leg, knee and lower leg.

5. Protective clothing such as heavy boots, jackets and gloves are effective for preventing and reducing abrasion and laceration, as well as road rash. Abrasion and laceration are often minor, but road rash can cause serious burn injuries.

6. Thirteen percent of motorcycle accidents result in groin injuries to the motorcyclist. Most groin injury accidents are multiple vehicle collisions involving frontal impact at high speeds.

7. Injury severity increases with speed, motorcycle size and alcohol use.

8. Seventy-three percent of motorcyclists involved in accidents use no eye protection. In many cases, wind in the eyes may cause vision impairment that contributes to the accident.

9. The most deadly injuries to accident victims are injuries to the chest and head.

10. Use of a safety helmet is the biggest factor in preventing head injuries.

11. There is no correlation between helmet use and the likelihood of being in an accident. Helmets do not cause accidents nor do they decrease a rider’s ability to safely operate a motorcycle.

12. Helmeted riders and passengers show significantly lower head and neck injury for all types of injury, at all levels of injury severity.

13. Full facial helmets greatly reduce the incidence of facial injuries.

14. There is no increased risk of neck injury or other injury from wearing a helmet.

The most important step a motorcyclist can take to reduce his chances of serious or disabling injury is to wear a helmet.

To learn more about head injuries, click here.

To learn more about motorcycle helmet use, click here.

The Kansas City motorcycle crash attorneys at Kansas City Accident Injury Attorneys represent the injured victims of motorcycle accidents throughout Kansas and Missouri. If you have been injured in a Missouri motorcycle wreck, contact our Missouri motorcycle accident lawyers at 1-888-348-2616.

Learn more about your rights after a Kansas City motorcycle collision; download our free book, “KC Biker Bible.”

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Motorcycle Accidents

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