My Left Toe
An open letter to the New York Times
In response to this article, I sent the letter below. I am a one-man crusade against meaningless scary motorcycle statistics.
To: letters@nytimes.com Subject: "Rise in Motorcycle Deaths Renews Helmet Law Debate" Despite sounding statistical, your statement that a combination of reduced helmet use and increased ridership have raised motorcycle fatalities "more than 100 percent" simply squeezes two independent factors into one useless factoid. It says nothing quantitative about the risks of motorcycling. Your "Fatalities per 100,000 registered motorcycles" graph does a bit better by correcting for the rise in motorcycle ownership; incidentally, it brings the increase from "more than 100" to about 35 percent. I'm a long-time motorcyclist and a great believer in training and safety gear, including helmets, and am duly alarmed at the rise in unskilled and underprotected riders. However, your somewhat innumerate stab at this issue does little but reinforce preconceptions and make responsible motorcyclists grumpy. Paul Bissex Northampton MA
