NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) – News 2 is peeling back the curtain on the rise in motorcycle fatalities with data that reveals new information that even surprised law enforcement.
Highway Patrol Lt. Bill Miller has spent his career making roads safer. Professionally and personally, he knows the risks of getting on a motorcycle.
“There’s a saying that, ‘if you haven’t laid a motorcycle down, just wait, you will.’”
Deadly motorcycle crashes on the rise in Clarksville
Years ago, Miller wrecked his own motorcycle. That close call was Miller’s last motorcycle ride. But over the years, as Middle Tennessee’s population has grown, so have the dangerous stunts he’s seen other motorcyclists do first-hand.
“Witnessed personally, drivers downloading music from their cellphones,” said Lt. Miller. “Seen drivers raise their face mask up to take a phone call…I’ve worked countless crashes as a trooper where alcohol was related.”
But this is one area where the data gets interesting. Alcohol is not as significant a factor in motorcycle crashes as you might think.