Ask two motorcycle riders what they think about the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, and you might get two completely different answers. For one, it could be the place where they met the love of their life and an event that holds a special place in their heart, but for the other, it could represent the worst of motorcycle culture. One thing is certain, however, year after year, the rally produces a worrying number of fatalities, many of which might have been prevented with the use of a helmet.
This marks the 85th anniversary of the most iconic motorcycle rally in the USA, and now all we can do is hope that it won't be the year with the most fatalities. Last year, 12 riders were killed in road traffic accidents at Sturgis, but the most riders ever killed in one year was 15 at the 2015 event.
The event runs from August 1-10, and between Saturday and Sunday, 18 accidents have been recorded—one of which resulted in a fatality. The rider involved in the fatal crash lost control of his motorcycle while traveling westbound and slid into the eastbound lanes, hitting three other motorcycles. The riders of the other motorcycles received serious, non-life-threatening injuries, and it's under investigation whether any of the four individuals were wearing helmets.
In total, 18 accidents were recorded in the first 24 hours of the rally, and at least 11 involved Harley-Davidson motorcycles. Sturgis is in Meade County, South Dakota, and although it's not required for riders over the age of 18 to wear a motorcycle helmet there, it's always recorded whether or not riders and passengers were wearing helmets at the time of road traffic accidents.
Regarding the helmet usage of riders and passengers involved in the crashes mentioned above, the numbers are:
- No helmet: 8
- Under investigation: 5
- Wearing a helmet: 7
In addition to the crashes that occurred between 6 a.m. Saturday to 6 a.m. Sunday, there were a total of 21 DUI arrests, 31 misdemeanor drug arrests, and 14 felony drug arrests. Highway Patrol also issued 252 citations and 592 warnings during the same period. To anyone heading to Sturgis this year, I hope you stay safe and keep it rubber side down.
