Older motorcycle riders more likely to get badly hurt

Kim Painter, Special for USA TODAY | USATODAY

Brian Hines, 64, a writer from Salem, Ore., rode a motorcycle as a younger man, but when he wanted to return to two-wheeled riding in 2009, he took some extra safety steps: He got a motorized scooter instead of a full-sized bike, repeated an optional safety course, bought a highly-visible white helmet and avoided riding at night or in the rain.

His precautions paid off and he never had an accident, Hines says.

A new study suggests he was smart to be so careful. It shows that aging motorcycle riders are like aging athletes: When they get hurt, they are more likely than younger enthusiasts to get seriously hurt.

That's important to know, because the age of motorcycle riders in the USA is rising as Baby Boomers take up or continue riding in their 50s, 60s and beyond, researchers say. Ten percent of riders were over age 50 in 1990; by 2003, 25% were, according to the study published today in the journal Injury Prevention.

Researchers from Brown University, Providence, R.I., used reports from emergency rooms nationwide to estimate that that nearly 1.5 million motorcycle riders, 85% of them male, were injured between 2001 and 2008. The most injuries, more than 900,000, were in riders ages 20 to 39. But the injury rate increased fastest in riders over 60, and older riders were more likely to be badly injured. When compared to injured riders in their 20s and 30s, those in their 40s and 50s and those over 60 faced increased risks for:

-- Hospitalization, which was three times more likely in the oldest group.

--Severe injury, 2.5 times more common in the oldest group.

-- Internal injuries – which were most often brain injuries.

The researchers had no information on helmet use, the types of cycles involved or crash details, so they can't say what roles such factors played.

They speculate that older riders got hurt more badly because of their aging bodies or got into worse crashes due to delayed reaction times, altered balance, worsening vision or other age-related disadvantages.

The study did not look at deaths but other research suggest fatality rates also are higher in older riders.

So should aging riders put their bikes up for sale? "I wouldn't say that they have to stop riding motorcycles. But there needs to be some awareness," says Tracy Jackson, a graduate student in epidemiology who led the study. "We want to make sure that those who are riding are wearing the right protective equipment and are trained properly."

As for Hines, he did sell his scooter in 2012 – something he says greatly pleases his wife. "She was worried every time I took off." He says he likes a little risk in his life, "but there are ways to fill that need without risking life and limb." He's taken up skateboarding instead.