Fifteen motorcyclists have died on Vermont highways this year, more than in any of the previous 10 years, according to crash data from the Vermont State Police.
This, in a year when overall motorcycle crashes have actually gone down. That begs the question: Why has this year been so deadly for motorcyclists in Vermont?
Every motorcycle crash is either the fault of the motorcyclist or the driver of another vehicle, and in Vermont it’s pretty evenly split, said Jay Riggen, a sergeant with Vermont State Police Traffic Safety.
The pandemic has introduced factors that could be contributing to each. More people have picked up motorcycling for the first time, while increased stress creates literal blind spots for drivers.
“Changes in anyone’s driving and riding habits affect the entire community, and unfortunately the pandemic has exacerbated motorists’ speeding,” Jacqueline Peterson, a spokesperson for the Motorcycle Safety Foundation, said in an email. “Distracted and stressed drivers, along with high speed and risky driving behaviors, are constant concerns for motorcyclists.”
When the car or truck driver is at fault, it is almost always because the driver’s attention was elsewhere, whether that be simply not seeing the motorcycle or being impaired, Riggen said.
When the motorcyclist is at fault, it’s often because of taking risks and driving fast, usually overestimating their skill level, Riggen said.
“By the nature of a motorcycle not having any protective enclosures around them, they’re crashing at speeds that are rendering the moment unsurvivable,” Riggen said.
The exposure to danger is something avid motorcyclists are very aware of, Holly Wilkins, former president of the United Motorcyclists of Vermont, said in an email.
“We try our best to avoid collisions, as we know we are likely going to be injured,” Wilkins said. “Most bikers develop a much more enhanced sense of our surroundings and strive to be ready to react to avoid trouble.”
Data suggests the pandemic has brought more new riders on the road nationwide. Motorcycle sales have gone up during the pandemic, with scooter and motorcycle sales rising 11.4% during 2020, according to the Motorcycle Industry Council Retail Sales Report.
Someone only has to complete an online test to get a motorcycle learner’s permit, with a guardian signature for 16- and 17-year-olds, according to the Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles. Once riders get at least 80% of the 25 multiple-choice questions right, they can book an appointment for a skills assessment in person on the motorcycle.
Wilkins said she finds most media reports about motorcycle crashes blame the victim by using language such as “the motorcycle collided with the vehicle,” even when the motorcyclist’s right of way was being violated.
Riggen’s advice for motorcyclists to prevent crashes is to “engage in every possible tool available to us to be more visible, so if we have people who are inattentive, regardless of why, perhaps we can trigger their vision.”
Donn Henn, an experienced motorcyclist and member of the United Motorcyclists of Vermont, said he knows he has to stay on high alert because distracted drivers might not see him. Henn said he expects to get hit about twice a year, mostly by drivers moving to his lane without seeing him.
While he said he has noticed more seemingly new motorcyclists on the road during the pandemic — he can tell because they drive slowly — he still thinks the cars are usually at fault.
“I’d say 90% of the problem is distracted drivers,” Henn said.
Henn owns Don’s Auto Repair and said he has seen cars develop to have more distractions.
“It used to be just a knob to turn on the radio, but there’s computer screens in cars now,” he said.
But technology is not the only thing distracting drivers. Riggen said he thinks the increase in fatal crashes is also due to stress in the community surrounding Covid-19.
“I think it’s a period of great stress in the operating environment and when people are under great stress, they really do have blind spots in their vision field because their attention is somewhere else,” Riggen said.
When drivers’ minds are somewhere else, they can remember to stay alert to other cars, but it’s easy to miss small things like motorcycles when drivers aren’t looking for them, Riggen said.
Riggen said his advice for those in cars might sound like a broken record, but it’s urgent that drivers constantly check in with themselves and ask, “Am I paying attention to the road?”
“Engage in that mental checklist often and always as we’re on the road,” Riggen said. “Say, ‘Am I doing everything I can to be aware of my environment?’”
Police are noticing crashes on the same type of roads around the state.
“Motorcycle fatalities are not really happening on our interstate roadways. They’re happening on our state and local roads,” Riggen said. “I think the reason for that is the nature of these surface streets, which involves a lot of other moving parts, cars coming out of driveways, intersecting roads and also roadway curvature.”
Interstate highways, Riggen said, leave more room for error, since traffic is separated by a median and there are no intersections.
State and local roads are also where the leaf-peepers roam, and with peak season approaching, there will soon be more out-of-staters not familiar with the roads. It is not the roads themselves causing crashes but the way drivers interact with the roads, Riggen said.
