Things More Dangerous Than a Motorcycle
- Last update: December 2020
If you’re interested in riding a motorcycle, you probably heard all about it being dangerous. And while it’s somewhat riskier than driving a car, that shouldn’t deter you from biking.
Many people often check motorcycle statistics that can sometimes be scary to beginners. Instead, it would help if you looked at how safe biking is compared to many other things we don’t think about as much.
Continue reading to discover things more dangerous than a motorcycle. We’ll discuss many potentially hazardous events and situations that we’re sure don’t cross your mind as often.
Is Riding a Motorcycle Dangerous?
Riding a motorcycle is considered relatively dangerous, but only when not done right. In other words, you should be fine if you have a license, a functioning motorcycle without malfunctions, and all the safety equipment and gear.
Also, you should be fine if you’re attentive, focused, and considerate of the road and weather conditions you’re riding in.
Riding doesn’t have to be dangerous when done right. Statistics show that it’s more dangerous than driving a car, but a lot of things can happen to you in a car as well.
To summarize, make sure to have a fully-functioning motorcycle and a license to ride it.
Activities More Dangerous Than Motorbike Riding
Excess Alcohol Drinking
Drinking is so frequent that many people forget how dangerous it can actually become. Excess drinking causes approximately 88,000 deaths in America.
Drug Overdose
Drugs are a huge factor that takes many lives in a short period. The numbers are still growing, but the latest research shows that 70,200 people died because of a drug overdose in 2017.
Distracted Driving
People eat, watch movies, text, and even shave while driving. Anything but watching and thinking of the road ahead is considered distracted driving. Only texting takes up to 9 lives a day.
Smoking Tobacco
Smoking takes more lives than drugs and alcohol do as some 480,000 people die because of it. Even the those who survive are granted to live at least ten years shorter than non-smokers.
Flu Disease
In 2017 alone, 80,000 people died of the flu. This is a serious matter that often doesn’t come across many people’s minds. Although it’s preventable, we still don’t think about it enough.
Owning a Gun
Sadly, having a gun is more likely to kill you than save your life. In 2017 alone, some 39,773 deaths caused by guns happened in the United States. Two-thirds of that number were suicides.
Inhaling Second Hand Smoke
Many people don’t know that inhaling second-hand smoke is often as dangerous as smoking. Hanging out with a motorcyclist is unlikely to kill you, but your smoker friend might. Some 41,000 second-hand smoke deaths happen each year.
Having Unsafe Sex
Even having sex isn’t as safe as many people think. The most significant danger is in sexually transmitted diseases and infections that cause 23,000 deaths in the USA every year.
Falling From the Bed
Although it might seem funny, falling from your bed can cause serious injuries or be fatal. Approximately 10,386 Americans died in accidents involving a bed. You could break a bone or even hit your head.
Household Poisons
Household poisons kill 33,000 people every year. Sometimes it’s an intentional poisoning, while at other times, it’s an accident that happened one way or another.
Medical Malfunctions
Preventable medical errors claim 98,000 lives each year. In most cases, it’s either an allergy or an injury during surgery. Either way, the number is large and worrying.
Falling Down the Stairs
Although running up and down the stairs seems like a good workout, falling can cause fractions and potentially deadly injuries. At-home and public staircases kill approximately 12,000 every year.
Going For a Walk
Even something as light-hearted as going for a walk can be dangerous. Pedestrian deaths usually happen during traffic crashes and are now at 35%. There are 1 in 556 chances that it might not be your luckiest day for a walk.
Hang Gliding
Every time you hang glide, there are 1 in 560 chances that you don’t make it out alive. It’s a shocking number that many don’t pay as much attention to.
Obesity
Obesity is 100x more likely to kill you than biking. People who usually talk about how dangerous riding a motorcycle is are unlikely to argue about the seriousness of being overweight.
Mountain Climbing
If you thought that biking is risky, you should stay away from trying to climb the Himalayas. People climbing at high altitudes have 1 in 167 chance of dying.
Race Driving
Race driving is a serious business and not for the faint of heart. It’s far more dangerous than riding a motorcycle since race drivers have 1 in 100 chance of crashing while racing.
Base Jumping
Base jumpers won’t tell you about how risky the sport is. Each time you base-jump, you have a 1 in 60 chance of dying, which is pretty staggering.
Frequently Asked Questions
What percentage of motorcycle riders getting in accidents?
As we said, riding a motorbike isn’t the safest thing in the world. In 2013, motorcycles accounted for 93% of all bike fatal crashes. With that said, you should also know that every motorbike rider has 1 to 770 chances of dying in a motorcycle crash.
See our guide on accident statistics.
Is a car safer than a motorcycle?
Driving a car might not be safer than riding a motorcycle, but a biker is more likely to have a severe or fatal injury during an accident.
You’re more exposed when on a motorbike, whereas a car driver has a safety belt and an airbag.
Conclusion
While you should always check statistics, you shouldn’t let the numbers prevent you from enjoying an adventure of riding a motorbike.
Riding is fun, so as long as it’s done responsibly. As we said, take all the safety precautions you have to so that your ride is as safe as possible.
Hopefully, the information we provided helped you have a better understanding of how biking isn’t the most dangerous thing in the world, although many people act like it is.