Ducati Monster Forum

despite being 30% more likely to wear helmets. Saw this on the local news.

http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/news/media/releases/black_motorcyclists__even_in_helmets__more_likely_to_die_in_crashes (http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/news/media/releases/black_motorcyclists__even_in_helmets__more_likely_to_die_in_crashes)

New Johns Hopkins research suggests race plays a factor in accident survival

African-American victims of motorcycle crashes were 1.5 times more likely to die from their injuries than similarly injured whites, even though many more of the African-American victims were wearing helmets at the time of injury, according to a new study by Johns Hopkins researchers.

...

In the new study, Haider and surgical resident Dr. Joseph Crompton reviewed National Trauma Data Bank information on 68,840 people involved in motorcycle crashes between 2002 and 2006. Along with the finding that even after controlling for factors such as insurance status, gender and injury severity, black crash victims were 1.5 times more likely to die from their injuries than similarly injured white victims. This was so despite the fact that black motorcycle crash victims were 30 percent more likely to be wearing helmets when injured than were white crash victims. The research also found that whites who were not wearing helmets were less likely to die than African-Americans who were wearing helmets, and that the highest mortality rates were among African-American motorcyclists without helmets.

Edited per request to blurb and link.

 :-\ 

My honest response to these findings could easily be misconstrued as racist so I'm going to refrain from posting it, but I think helmet type, riding style, and general respect for limits make a heavy play into these results.

Unfortunate, but my concern is that taking a "something must be done!" approach will land us all in a worse position than before.

I'd be more specific, but it'd get political. :P

(FYI, the article is printed twice in your post.)

Edited because you've edited.

I wonder how they really got to that result....

IBTL.   [popcorn]

For those who don't know:

(http://ui25.gamespot.com/1816/ibtl_2.gif)

Sorry about my tricky paste finger....

"It is also possible, he says, that riders of different races may prefer different types of helmets or more dangerous types of motorcycles. More research is needed, he says, to determine what role, if any, these issues may play."

You think?! This article and the study are completely baseless as they do not differ in the type of bike or activity involved in during the accident. Without those two factors, you are using numbers to skew the situation to propogate a racist outcome. Obviously these researchers aren't riders and never even spoke to riders.

" Previous studies of other accidents and illnesses have shown that lack of health insurance, reduced access to care, poorer quality of care and a greater number of pre-existing illnesses or injuries contribute to racial differences in survival."

By cited things like medical insurance and the like, the article is appearing to help promote universal health care as a way to reduce fatalities for African American riders.

"But with this new study in mind, Haider says, more focus should be placed on injury-prevention programs that go beyond imploring motorcyclists to wear helmets,  since they alone do not appear to be doing enough to protect some crash victims — particularly African-Americans — from death."

MSF courses, motorcycle schoools, etc. are all availabel for riders to attend to focus on injury and in fact accident preovention... maybe the study should have also looked at the rate of attendence at courses like those to go along with the study.

This study is very flawed and rubbish.

It's the Jews' fault!!   [laugh]

[popcorn]

 [roll]  The dumbass only needs to look at the alphabets trailing his name to find the answer; Adil Haider MD, MPH

(http://i1023.photobucket.com/albums/af353/WinSomeLoseNone/Funny%20stuff/1281683034152.jpg)


In response to this statement
(http://i1023.photobucket.com/albums/af353/WinSomeLoseNone/Funny%20stuff/1282797443146.png)

I would guess the results were not standardized against bike type, accident type, etc.

For example, I would bet that riders on red bikes were also more likely to die than those on black chrome even with both wearing helmets.

mitt

well, they definitely didn't talk to the dead ones.

I know a black guy that's had plenty of wrecks. He's still alive. Or he was last time I talked to him. This researcher guy fails at teh survey.  [thumbsdown]

I'm half African-American, does that mean I'm half as likely to die?  [thumbsdown]

 And what about Hispanics? Where do they fit in? Are they just immortal?

  And what about African-Canadians? I'm so confused..... ???

  Here in my part of California, just about everyone here wears cheap, crappy free-be dealer or what is on the shelf of our small, always low on stock Cycle gear.
 Most of the black guys I see around here are cruising around in blinged out, H-D or metric baggers, wearing some kind of gear.

 This research is flawed!   [drink]

You're just .75 more likely to die.  For the rule of averages, that's not bad at all. [laugh]  Sorry bro, just had to throw that out there.  Seriously though, I used to work right next to the motorcycle safety course riding area and I seldom see a black guy on a bike.  Maybe its a lack of proper training thing.  Who knows.  All I know is that Bush must have something to do with it.

No.

You have to average the likelihoods, resulting in you being 1.25 times more likely to die.

 ;)

You fail at the maths.

 [cheeky]

the article was lacking in SERIOUS research because they wanted to make a political statement.  I'm from Venezuela (don't throw me in with Jesus either  :P) but everyone knows me as American because I have a US passport and that's all anyone needs to know about me - I will not be their statistic.  IMO if you can afford a bike you should be able to afford health insurance and gear. 

I think the point their trying to make is that the care that African Americans get is worse than what white people get. They are not comparing the way the ride or what they ride. Simply speaking, care in hospitals in inner cities will get you killed.

In all fairness, i chopped the top of my helmet so my hair wouldn't get flat  [thumbsup]

i'm so sorry....i couldn't resist....
(http://i328.photobucket.com/albums/l351/monstermonkey79/funny-demotivational-photos-14.jpg)