Norwegian authorities claim that it is becoming increasingly dangerous to ride motorcycles and they have the statistics to prove it. Odd Terje Døvik, president of the Norwegian motorcyclists’ organization NMCU, claims it has never been safer to ride a bike in Norway.

According to the saying, there are three types of lies: lies, damn lies and statistics. The latter refers to a use of numbers and statistics that gives a wrong, misleading or outright false picture of reality.

The Norwegian Public Roads Administration’s handling of accident figures for motorcyclists is an example of the latter. It is both a damn lie and a statistical lie, that it is becoming increasingly dangerous to ride motorcycles on Norwegian roads. The Norwegian Public Roads Administration is trying to document this by referring to the recent years’ increase in the number of fatal accidents on motorcycles. It is true that the absolute number of fatal motorcycle accidents has increased from the ‘bottom year’ in 2011 to the ‘peak year’ last year, but that says nothing about the development of risk.

‘It is a damn lie that it’s becoming increasingly dangerous to ride a motorcycle’

That the number of fatalities has increased only tells us that the number of fatalities has increased. To find out whether this increase in the number of fatalities has also led to an increased risk, more figures are needed. As you know, risk is a relative concept. In our context, one could – for example – compare the number of people killed with the number of kilometres driven, or the number of motorcycles on the roads. The former is not so easy to calculate, but we know more about the latter. And those figures show that the number of killed and seriously injured motorcyclists has been halved in the same period the number of registered motorcycles has doubled!

In other words: it is a damn lie that it’s becoming increasingly dangerous to ride a motorcycle. The truth is that it has never been safer. The truth is that the combined effect of improved driver training and increasingly advanced support systems on motorcycles has led to a significantly reduced risk of being killed or seriously injured on a motorcycle. We are not saying that it is risk free. We are not saying that a motorcycle is as safe as a car (it will never be). We only say that the risk has been reduced in step with the various risk-reducing measures. To claim otherwise is at best a statistical lie.

The Norwegian Public Roads Administration has made it a bad habit to confuse absolute accident figures with relative accident risk. At the same time, they are good at pointing an admonishing finger at motorcyclists in general. We motorcyclists must get better at this and better at that. We must make wiser speed choices. We must practice cornering, emergency braking and swerve-manoeuvres. We must dress properly. We must stay awake and alert. Yes, we must. Motorcycle riding is a skill that must be maintained, and we are painfully aware that we are the ones who get hurt when accidents happen.

So yes, motorcyclists have every reason to do whatever we can to preserve our own safety. And it is OK that the Norwegian Public Roads Administration reminds us of that. My mother did that when I was young, and my wife does today. We can bear to hear a ‘ride safely!’ before we set off. But the next time the Norwegian Public Roads Administration feels the urge to remind us of our responsibility, I hope they also remember their own.

‘How many motorcycle-friendly crash barriers has the Norwegian Public Roads Administration set up over the last year?’

It is a well-known fact many accidents happen because the rider loses control in left-hand turns. Dare I ask the Norwegian Public Roads Administration how many low motorcycle-friendly rails they have set up in dangerous left turns over the last year? I rode more than 10,000 km on Norwegian roads last summer, and the number of left turns with a low motorcycle-friendly rail could be counted with the fingers of one hand. We know, and the Norwegian Public Roads Administration knows, that motorcycle-friendly rails provide a significantly reduced risk of injury or death if the motorcyclist loses control in a turn.

We know, and the Norwegian Public Roads Administration knows, that improved sight lines through the curves contribute to greater predictability, better and more precise track choices and better speed management. We know, and the Norwegian Public Roads Administration knows, that gravel from adjacent side roads represents a special danger for two-wheelers. The list is long; these are just a few of the road-related safety measures described in the national action plans.

We motorcyclists have taken and will continue to take responsibility for our own actions. Now we expect the Norwegian Public Roads Administration to do their part!

Written by Odd Terje Døvik, president of the Norsk Motorcykkel Union (NMCU)

NMCU is a member of FEMA

Top photograph courtesy of Walldump.com

This article is subject to FEMA’s copyright