Italy leads the rest of Europe for the number of fatalities from motorbike accidents, according to a new report.
The study, published in the latest edition of the Il Centuaro magazine, was based on data provided by highway police and showed that from January 1, 1995 and December 31, 2004 there was a 31.7% leap in motorbike fatalities. During this 10-year period, 13,428 motorcyclists lost their lives and 786,985 suffered injuries which needed hospital care.
Motorbike operators and passengers thus accounted for 27.6% of all road fatalities and 28.4% of injuries.
The number of fatalities in Italy was the highest in Europe, after which came France, Germany and Spain. According to experts quoted in the report, the greatest cause for the increase in motorbike accidents and fatalities was the fact that motorcycles have become much more powerful and harder to control, especially for the inexperienced rider.
"Young people are finding themselves on bikes which already in first gear can hit 130kph and can accelerate from 0 to 100kph in three seconds, while top speed can be as high as 270 to 320kph," an expert observed.
Another major problem, the expert added, is the fact that inexperienced riders tend to ignore the rules of the road, something for which the introduction of a point system for driving licenses has had little effect.
