A comparison of riding characteristics between young and aging motorcycle riders in Florida

Since the late 1990’s, motorcycle crashes and fatalities in the U.S. have increased significantly, especially among aging riders. In 2014, a web-based Florida motorcyclist survey was conducted to collect data on the characteristics of aging motorcyclists and to explore differences between aging and young riders.

A multi-method sampling approach was used to recruit participants from 30,000 addresses obtained from the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles database of endorsed motorcyclists. The respondents (n = 3024) were divided into two groups, young riders (44 and younger) and aging riders (45 and older).

Results show that 73.2% of aging respondents ride predominantly for recreation while only 53.6% of young respondents ride for recreation purposes (p < .001). Significantly more aging riders (80.7%) than young riders (57.6%) have a motorcycle insurance policy (p < .001). Whereas aprroximately 35% of aging riders did not complete formal motorcycle training, only 15.1% of young riders have not attanded any training course (p < .001). There was not a significant difference between the proportion of riders from each group who responded that formal training is very important to operate a motorcycle on the street.

The study findings indicate that different riding characteristics exist between young and aging motorcyclists in Florida. To decrese motorcycle crashes and fatalities among aging riders, tailored interventions reflecting the differences between rider groups should be designed and implemented. In particular, a training course for the aging rider population needs to be developed.