Allen County motorcycle fatalities on the rise

The Fort Wayne-Allen County Department of Health released its first edition of what it calls "Fast Facts" Tuesday.  They're statistics on concerning health trends.  The hope Tuesday was to raise awareness of the recent increase in area motorcycle fatalities.

Motorcycle-related deaths have increased by 55% since 2000 according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).  Allen County has been no exception. 

According to the health department, in 2010 there were six fatalities in Allen County.  That number jumped to 14 in 2011.  Since July of 2012, there have been 13.  Those numbers include some out of county victims taken to Fort Wayne hospitals.

Only one person included in the 2012 fatalities was known to be wearing a helmet.

“One thing to look at, is that we don't have a universal helmet law in Indiana,” said Dr. Deb McMahan, Fort Wayne-Allen County health commissioner.  “When you look comparatively at other states that have those you see a big difference in the number of fatalities associated with motorcycle deaths.”

Trooper Gary Gerardot with the Indiana State Police thinks there are more fatalities because more motorcycles are on the road.

“With gas prices and fuel mileage, motorcycles do so much better than vehicles,” Gerardot said.  “Some people are thinking of it as an alternative to an automobile, so by sheer numbers you have more people and therefore you would have an increase.”

The highest age group for motorcycle fatalities is in the 40 and over group.

If you would like to receive the health department’s “Fast Facts” releases once a month, go to AllenCountyHealth.com.

For motorcycle safety tips, click here .