Applying Risk Management Principles to M.C. Riding

[James Burleigh]

I authored the cover story for last month's (July) issue of Friction Zone magazine, exploring how the concepts and methods professional risk managers use to help business managers make more informed decisions involving risk could potentially benefit riders.

Here's a link to the July issue. The article begins on page 6. Clicking on the cover may take you right to the article.

JB

P.S. Yeah, the girl on the scooter really did dust me. And in fact she "lane split" between me and the car next to me. So my instincts were to nail it. But it really wouldn't do to have the campus risk guy racing students around the campus (and anyway who's the grownup in this scenario?).... :huh:

 

[azitlies]

haha great article James, really enjoyed that. Thoughtful and clear. Although, lets face it... scooter chick dusted you, I'm not sure what that says

 

[mwhjrtx]

I authored the cover story for last month's (July) issue of Friction Zone magazine, exploring how the concepts and methods professional risk managers use to help business managers make more informed decisions involving risk could potentially benefit riders.

Here's a link to the July issue. The article begins on page 6. Clicking on the cover may take you right to the article.

JB

P.S. Yeah, the girl on the scooter really did dust me. And in fact she "lane split" between me and the car next to me. So my instincts were to nail it. But it really wouldn't do to have the campus risk guy racing students around the campus (and anyway who's the grownup in this scenario?).... :huh:

Thanks for the link to your article. I enjoyed the read.

 

[puppychow]

A+ to your article Hans. Enjoyed reading that as well.

 

[gixxerjasen]

Enjoyed the article. Oddly enough though, one of the ads in there actually inspired me to check out a website listed. Guess that one paid for itself, huh?

 

[dcarver]

If it were me, I'd ask skooter gurl out for a bj or something and not wear a condom!

Ok, just kidding!

Excellent article JB! :yahoo: :yahoo:

 

[Niehart]

Good read JB.

On a side note, I like their ride reports and map tare sheets.

 

[03silverbullet]

Very impressive! Excellent article.

 

[FastJoyRide]

Well done Hans, I am Chief Risk Officer for a small Canadian financial institution and I know that other directors shake their heads at the apparent disconnect that I am also an avid rider (and mountain snowmobiler). Knowingly or not we all bite off the level of risk we can tolerate...

n

 

[Goodman4]

Thanks for the read. Very interesting and well-written. This is the kind of thing I like to think about (maybe too much), as I'm a risk manager in my field too, and I always try to apply it to my riding. I often wish I had more stats on motorcycle accidents. I wonder what the likelihood of death or major injury is per 1000 miles ridden for intermediate riders with good gear. I also wonder that the average level of injury is per speed at crash-time. Some of that would be hard to quanitify, but it would be interesting.

 

[James Burleigh]

Well done Hans, I am Chief Risk Officer for a small Canadian financial institution and I know that other directors shake their heads at the apparent disconnect that I am also an avid rider (and mountain snowmobiler). Knowingly or not we all bite off the level of risk we can tolerate...

n

Thanks, all, for the positive feedback.

FastJoyRide, regarding the "apparent disconnect," when a colleague and fellow rider (Aprilia Tuono) learned just recently that I ride, he said "That is so cool to think that our campus risk manager rides a fire-breathing motorcycle." :dirol: :yahoo:

And recall a few years ago when the head of the Air Force Blue Angels finally allowed his pilots to ride the motorcycles that, surprise, they all craved, stating words to the effect that, "My pilots are professional risk managers."

 

[James Burleigh]

Thanks for the read. Very interesting and well-written. This is the kind of thing I like to think about (maybe too much), as I'm a risk manager in my field too, and I always try to apply it to my riding. I often wish I had more stats on motorcycle accidents. I wonder what the likelihood of death or major injury is per 1000 miles ridden for intermediate riders with good gear. I also wonder that the average level of injury is per speed at crash-time. Some of that would be hard to quanitify, but it would be interesting.

Thanks for the note, GM4. This is the third article I've written for Amy at Friction Zone over the past few years. The first two, you may be interested to know, had to do with accident injury rates. The first was comparing injury severity during rush hour to non-rush hour. The second was comparing injury severity with and without alcohol involvement. Both were based on analyzing 10 years of California statewide motorcycle accidents, which involved more than 100,000 records. Here are the articles:

Rush Hour

Alcohol

 

[NightShine]

Thanks for the read. Very interesting and well-written. This is the kind of thing I like to think about (maybe too much), as I'm a risk manager in my field too, and I always try to apply it to my riding. I often wish I had more stats on motorcycle accidents. I wonder what the likelihood of death or major injury is per 1000 miles ridden for intermediate riders with good gear. I also wonder that the average level of injury is per speed at crash-time. Some of that would be hard to quanitify, but it would be interesting.

Thanks for the note, GM4. This is the third article I've written for Amy at Friction Zone over the past few years. The first two, you may be interested to know, had to do with accident injury rates. The first was comparing injury severity during rush hour to non-rush hour. The second was comparing injury severity with and without alcohol involvement. Both were based on analyzing 10 years of California statewide motorcycle accidents, which involved more than 100,000 records. Here are the articles:

Rush Hour

Alcohol

That was a very readable and informative article in Friction Zone, JB. Thanks for putting it out into the public eye.

Also, could you alter the "permissions" on the two "goole doc" links in this last post to allow others to read them?

Cheers!

 

[Goodman4]

I just had a chance to read the two other articles. Thanks for writing them and thanks for giving us a link to them. I'm a data-head so it just makes me want to know more, though.

I was trying to think of a way to set up a poll/survey here on the forum that could glean anything useful from a more mature crowd of statistically more experienced riders. You could try to get number of miles driven per accident or even per accident with serious injury, but you wouldn't be able to account for those that had serious injuries and in result quit riding and left the forum. Most active members are current riders, of course. Also you can't figure in those who have paid the ultimate price of the sport because unlike those who have close friends here that post when someone dies, some members are just gone and forgotten without the knowledge of their accident. Once in a while I scroll down to the RIP section hoping I won't see any updates.

Have you seen any reports or articles where anybody has taken a stab at calculating the likelihood of an experienced rider having a serious accident any given ride? Or per mile ridden? Making an uneducated hypothesis often leads to the data gathering required to prove or disprove it, so here is one: For an average experienced rider who rides an average of 5000 miles a year, with half of those miles being short commutes, I guess that the chance of an accident with serious injury is 3% any given year of riding. Do you think that is high or low? I would also assume that if the experienced rider averages 15,000 miles a year the chances would go up, but not triple because they would be more likely Interstate miles and more careful miles. Experience has to play a major factor, too.

What would the multiplier be for twisties vs Intersate? On the Interstate you have more traffic, more debris, and more road rage. I still bet the Interstate miles are safer not counting rush hour traffic.

Anyway, hopefully somebody with real data has played with this already. But at this point, I'm up for opinions in the absence of data. Anybody chime in with what you think, as it would be interesting to get a feel for it.

(Apologies for hijacking your thread, but I'm telling myself it is still within the intent of your OP)

- Paul

 

[TomInPA]

Thanks for the read. Very interesting and well-written. This is the kind of thing I like to think about (maybe too much), as I'm a risk manager in my field too, and I always try to apply it to my riding. I often wish I had more stats on motorcycle accidents. I wonder what the likelihood of death or major injury is per 1000 miles ridden for intermediate riders with good gear. I also wonder that the average level of injury is per speed at crash-time. Some of that would be hard to quanitify, but it would be interesting.

Thanks for the note, GM4. This is the third article I've written for Amy at Friction Zone over the past few years. The first two, you may be interested to know, had to do with accident injury rates. The first was comparing injury severity during rush hour to non-rush hour. The second was comparing injury severity with and without alcohol involvement. Both were based on analyzing 10 years of California statewide motorcycle accidents, which involved more than 100,000 records. Here are the articles:

Rush Hour

Alcohol

Hans, where the hell are you? Been a long time since we took a ride or talked about bay area riding angst. I ate your share of a Reuben sandwich in Oregon, and you could afford the calories better than me.

Quit hiding. (yeah, I know it might be risky)

 

[Fairlaner]

NIce one Han's.....But you know we never take any risks down here in SoCal....

R

 

[HotRodZilla]

The chance that a person will be in a serious wreck whenever they take a ride on a motorcycle is 100%. The individual riser has to do things to reduce that risk. However, we do that with everything from getting out of bed to hanging Christmas lights. Motorcyclists don't have some magical feel for risk management. Everyone does it.

 

[SacramentoMike]

The chance that a person will be I. A serious wreck whenever they take a ride on a motorcycle is 100%. The individual riser has to do things to reduce that risk. However, we do that with everything from getting out of bed to hanging Christmas lights. Motorcyclists don't have some magical feel for risk management. Everyone does it.

You don't make your living as a statistician, do you? I think I'll stop riding immediately if you do. :dribble:

Ouch. Damn it, I just ran over my foot with this rolling desk chair! Freaking dangerous internet. :angry2: