These Are the Facts and Statistics Behind Dirt Bike Safety
Is there anything better than hopping on the back of a dirt bike and experiencing nature at high speed?
For people in the know, it’s one of the best feelings in the world. It’s also dangerous if you don’t know what you are doing, something none of us like to admit when it’s true.
You must take steps to protect yourself anytime you decide to ride a dirt bike. Aside from wearing the right safety gear, there are several things you might not have thought about when considering dirt bike safety.
You might not have realized the true reasons why dirt bikes are dangerous in the first place.
Some states require that you take a training course before you ride on public lands. Even if there are no requirements, it’s still wise to consider following our dirt bike safety tips whenever you are on two wheels.
This article mainly focuses on off-road riding. If you want to ride on the street, consider making your dirt bike street legal.
Dirt Bike Dangers: Injury Statistics
Let’s start by looking at some statistics for children on dirt bikes.
In 2013, a medical study was completed about what types of injuries presented in children after dirt bike accidents. These evaluations were done on people under the age of 18. Of 24 admissions, the average age was 13.
These were the findings of the study:
Fourteen patients had brain injuries
Six had abdominal injuries
Fourteen also had an injury to the neck and face
One patient died after admittance
The average severity score was 8.5. 38% of the patients with fractures suffered more than one, with femur fracture being the most common type.
The official conclusion of the study was as follows:
Riding dirt bikes is not a safe recreational activity. Orthopedic injuries constitute a major component of the injuries affecting children riding dirt bikes. Orthopedic surgeons (being responsible for treating most of these children) have the obligation to warn the community against the possible dangers facing children who ride dirt bikes. [source]
That leads to a big question.
Danger, Will Robinson! | source
Why Are Dirt Bikes So Dangerous?
The reasons are actually pretty clear.
Dirt bikes often ride in rough terrain where there is no “slide zone” or safety runoff
Much of what can destabilize a dirt bike is outside the rider’s control
Riders don’t always wear the proper safety gear
Even when they do, the human body can only take so much
According to a lawyer in Washington, there were 500,000 people in dirt bike accidents over a stretch of four years from 2001 to 2004. 75% of those people were hospitalized. During 2003, 245 deaths occurred with children and teens because of dirt bikes. That was two decades ago, sure, but dirt bikes have only gotten more popular since.
Surely, anyone that gets on a dirt bike knows there’s a safety factor involved. But that doesn’t stop us, does it? As someone who recently taught my young boy to ride, I know how valuable safety is, especially when we are teaching our children, but I also know the odds.
What the Statistics Don’t Tell You
While it can be difficult to track the increase in dirt bike riders, or even to put a figure on the total number of dirt bike riders in the United States, we can assume one thing: that number is rising.
Motorcycles of all styles are getting more popular every year. That idea produces quotes like this:
The growth in motorcycle sales and registrations in the United States has been accompanied by an increase in accidents, property losses, injuries, and fatalities involving motorcycles. [source]
Of course those things are rising. There are more motorcycles.
What these statistics rarely tell you is that there are also more people not having accidents. If that weren’t the case, accident statistics would be rising at a ratio of 1:1 to the increasing rate of motorcycle sales.
But they aren’t.
How do you learn to ride a dirt bike safely? Experience.
How do you get experience? The easiest way is by starting young.
Take the American Motorcyclist Association, the sanctioning body behind the world’s largest share of motorcycle race events. 71 percent of AMA members have more than 25 years of riding experience, and the only way to obtain that sort of number before you know AARP is by riding motorcycles (most often dirt bikes) when you’re a kid.
Not to mention…
Dirt Bikes Are Statistically Safer Than ATVs
You may assume that an ATV would be safer because it has four wheels.
When riding off-road, ATVs are statistically more dangerous than dirt bikes. In fact, four-wheeler crash victims have at times been found to be 50% more likely to die than someone involved in a dirt bike crash.
The sad thing is, many people riding dirt bikes trade up for an ATV because they think it’s safer, but it’s not. This decision isn’t wise if you make it simply to avoid death and injury. The perception is that an ATV is safer because it is stable and doesn’t crash as often, but that’s not what the statistics tell us.
The ATV threat stems from several factors:
ATVs are heavy (usually 650 to 850 pounds), which doesn’t feel good when it lands on you
The larger size increases your chance of hitting something while on the vehicle instead of being thrown free before or during the impact
ATV drivers tend to go faster because of the confidence of four wheels
The last one is anecdotal, but we’re confident that fewer ATV riders wear protective safety gear than dirt bike riders. Unfortunately, we all know people who let their kids ride all manner of vehicles without so much as a helmet or elbow pads. In our experience, this is far more common on ATVs.
Our Top 11 Tips for Dirt Bike Safety
Now that you understand that riding a dirt bike is dangerous and why it is, you probably have some thoughts on how to make it safer. So do we.
1. Wear the right helmet
It does you no good to wear a helmet that isn’t safe. Make sure your helmet is:
snug and secure
free of dents and cracks
DOT Approved
less than 5 years old
Make sure your helmet is snug on your head for maximum protection. You might think that at your level of skill, this isn’t a requirement, but it doesn’t matter how good you are.
Your brain is precious and should be treated like a treasure. Make sure any helmet you choose has a DOT label on it. This ensures it was built according to the U.S. Department of Transportation standards. Falls, collisions and freak accidents happen all the time, even to the best of riders.
If your helmet doesn’t feature a face shield or eye protection, we strongly recommend getting a sturdy pair of goggles. Your eyes are a treasure as well. I mean, have you seen them? 😍😍😍😍
However, the AMA states that helmet use alone is insufficient to protect a rider. You must add more safety gear to remain as safe as possible.
Looks like them Duke Boys are up to no good again | source
2. Read your owner’s manual
Who really wants to do this? Let’s face it; a dirt bike user manual isn’t exactly leisurely reading. Still, the more education you have, the better your chances of staying alive.
If you don’t have the owner’s manual, refer to the manufacturer’s website to get it. Proper operation of your vehicle is key to maintaining a high level of dirt bike safety.
3. Avoid dangerous situations
I know, it sounds funny. But you heard it here first.
One of the best tips for dirt bike safety is to avoid danger
This is quality journalism right here.
Aside from choosing an environment you are accustomed to, some things should be avoided, no matter what skill level you are at. For example, it just isn’t smart to ride on ice. Sure, you can do it, but you take a huge risk. Of course, if you’re doing it purely for Youtube or Instagram that makes it totally okay, right?
The same goes for deep mud, snow, steep hills and standing water. While all of these sounds like a blast, they might be better avoided if you plan to keep your limbs intact.
4. Wear the right clothing
Buying dirt bike safety gear is a lot cheaper than paying a hospital bill.
At a minimum, you should wear close-toed shoes, gloves, pants, and a long-sleeve shirt. We also recommend that you put on knee, chest and shoulder pads. Nothing you wear should be loose or it might interfere with how your bike operates.
All of these apparel choices are offered in armored versions as well. It might not be cheap to deck you or your child out in the latest and greatest protective gear, but don’t cheap out: you get what you pay for.
5. Avoid roads when possible
Some of us ride pavement all the time, but we still have to tell you it’s dangerous. If safety is your primary concern, you want to avoid the roads altogether.
We understand having an intense love for being on two wheels at every possible moment, but it’s simply more dangerous than taking a car.
We also understand if you have to jump on the road just to cross to the other side of a trail; that shouldn’t be a problem.
What we are referring to is when you regularly ride on the road. If you must put yourself where cars are, make sure you have the right safety equipment in place on both yourself and your dirt bike. This includes the horn, lighting and everything else you need to be street legal, including a license plate.
6. Take a safety course
Especially if you have never ridden a dirt bike before, look into taking an official safety course.
This is the best way to learn about general maintenance, stopping, steering and handling of your bike. Even experienced riders can stand to learn a thing or two from the experts.
Do some Googling: Look at your localParks and Recreation and Department of Motor Vehicles to see if they offer dirt bike safety courses.
If they don’t have dirt bike safety courses, you might want to use a private company instead. Most anyone offering motorcycle training programs is willing to do courses with a dirt bike.
7. Pick the right size bike
We’re not just talking about physical size here, but engine size as well.
When you ride the right sized bike, you have more control over its movements. If you get on the back of something too small or too large for your body too soon, steering and handling become more difficult. Some terrain is a lot more difficult on a 125 than a 450, for example.
Especially if you or your child are growing up with dirt bikes, make sure you step up when the time is right.
While states don’t often regulate the size or type of bike you ride, it’s always wise that you choose something that lets you reach every control comfortably and helps you ride within your limits.
8. Keep your composure
Don’t ride in any situation you aren’t sure about.
You want to be familiar with your surroundings at all times. Pick terrains and environments you are used to riding in. If something seems like it goes beyond your experience level, bag it.
9. Inspect your bike often
One of the most critical aspects of dirt bike safety is the condition of your bike. We’re not saying you need to be an aircraft mechanic here, checking over every single bolt to make sure it’s still at the proper torque spec for 7 hours before takeoff.
Just get used to looking your bike over before any ride. Focus on these areas:
check the oil and radiator fluid
check for clutch and brake pressure
check your tire inflation
You want to start by checking the tire pressures. Under or over inflated tires pose a serious risk. Then, test the brakes to ensure proper function. Take a few minutes and check all of the other controls as well.
If anything was left loose or broken after the last ride, you don’t want to notice while riding the trail. Instead, take your bike for repair before you trust your life to it.
10. Only ride pavement when it’s legal
Not only do a surprising number of dirt bikes get confiscated every year for using public roads illegally, but a surprising number of on-road injuries involve dirt bikes that lack critical safety features like turn signals.
Make sure you only ride on the road when it's legal and safe to do so. A lot of riding areas let you use local roads, and a lot of trails cross busy streets, and that’s all okay. Just make sure to keep your wits about you and make sure kids are supervised.
If you want to ride your dirt bike around town, on backroads, or on the highway, it needs to be street legal. There is no sense in having your bike towed when getting street legal is so easy.
11. Never drink and ride
This one is for the older riders. Leave cracking open a cold one with the boys for another time.
Riding a dirt bike is an exhilarating experience, but it’s not meant to be done while intoxicated.
There’s a time and a place to enjoy a drink with friends, and it’s not on the trail. You need every sense about you while heading out on the bike. Don’t be stupid and drink, smoke, or whatever else while riding. Instead, plan a weekend away with the boys and drink at night when the riding is over.
If you are with people that have been drinking, don’t ride with them. They pose a threat to your safety and should be avoided on the trail in the interest of dirt bike safety.
Special Dirt Bike Tips for Kids
If you plan to ride with kids, more care must be taken.
Children don’t have the previous experience of riding a motorcycle or driving a car for that matter, unless you’re the kind of parent we all wished we had as kids. But it was much better that we didn’t.
Kids don’t understand the mechanics of how everything works. That’s why it’s best to enroll them in a safety course before getting started. The experts can instruct them on things adults take as second-nature.
Make sure you also follow all of the rules in your state. Don’t let the child operate their dirt bike alone and make sure they always have proper riding gear.
Do you have any more dirt bike safety tips?
What are some things you do to ensure safety on the trail? Is there anything in this list that you’ve been neglecting? We would love to hear about your best practices. Let us know in the comments.
Do yourself a favor and take the few extra minutes to start following our tips. It might just save your life.
About GritShift
This post was created in conjunction with our sister site, GritShift. Specializing in electric dirt bikes from Sur Ron, Segway, Talaria, and more, GritShift’s in-house R&D team designs and builds quality components in addition to stocking riding gear and complete e-bikes for the electric future.
Check us out at GritShift.com.