Looking at the Wall of Rembrance thread go me to thinking.
(Disclaimer: Nothing said below is intended in any way to suggest disrespect to any Dog who has passed on, or to make any conclusion about lifestyles, riding habits or whatever. I’m simply looking at the raw numbers and what they might suggest to us).
There are 16 names of Dogs that have passed on since the WoR thread was started. Of these ten (ie 62%) died as a direct result of motorcycling incidents. In six of those cases another vehicle was involved – of the remaining 4 cases it was not clear whether another vehicle was involved.
Two (12.5%) were murdered and four (25%) died as a result of natural causes.
From a statistical point of view the sample is too small to be representative of the general population, but there is still reason enough to ponder a while.
If you’re a Wild Dog then the chances are that your passion will be the eventual cause of your death – whether you’re a daily commuter or a weekend warrior. You have only a 1 in 4 chance of dying of natural causes (natural causes here are deemed to be death from causes other than murder or biking ie may include cancer as a result of a lifetime of smoking or poor eating habits).
If you regularly ride a motorcycle in South Africa you have a 4 times greater chance of dying a violent death that dying of illness or old age.
If you do die as a result of a motorcycling accident, the chances are 60% that another vehicle will be involved ie you were not alone able to determine the risk of the accident occurring.
I can only assume that these numbers are even more thought-provoking if you, like me, commute twice daily on the N1/M1 into Johannesburg in the rush-hour madness. Something to think about every time you climb onto your pride and joy.
(Disclaimer: Nothing said below is intended in any way to suggest disrespect to any Dog who has passed on, or to make any conclusion about lifestyles, riding habits or whatever. I’m simply looking at the raw numbers and what they might suggest to us).
There are 16 names of Dogs that have passed on since the WoR thread was started. Of these ten (ie 62%) died as a direct result of motorcycling incidents. In six of those cases another vehicle was involved – of the remaining 4 cases it was not clear whether another vehicle was involved.
Two (12.5%) were murdered and four (25%) died as a result of natural causes.
From a statistical point of view the sample is too small to be representative of the general population, but there is still reason enough to ponder a while.
If you’re a Wild Dog then the chances are that your passion will be the eventual cause of your death – whether you’re a daily commuter or a weekend warrior. You have only a 1 in 4 chance of dying of natural causes (natural causes here are deemed to be death from causes other than murder or biking ie may include cancer as a result of a lifetime of smoking or poor eating habits).
If you regularly ride a motorcycle in South Africa you have a 4 times greater chance of dying a violent death that dying of illness or old age.
If you do die as a result of a motorcycling accident, the chances are 60% that another vehicle will be involved ie you were not alone able to determine the risk of the accident occurring.
I can only assume that these numbers are even more thought-provoking if you, like me, commute twice daily on the N1/M1 into Johannesburg in the rush-hour madness. Something to think about every time you climb onto your pride and joy.
