Deadly start of 2015 for Iowa motorcyclists

An early spring is likely to blame for one of the deadlier starts to the year for motorcycle riders.

There were eight motorcycle fatalities through the end of April in Iowa, which is the second most to start the year since 2009 and the most since 2012, according to data released on Wednesday by the Iowa Department of Transportation.

'I think part of that has been the weather has been more conducive to motorcycle riding early in the year,” said Pat Hoye, bureau chief at the Governor's Traffic Safety Bureau in Des Moines.

Speeding, drifting off the shoulder and alcohol were among the factors listed in different crash reports, but the fact is more people are on the road earlier leading to more fatalities, he said.

'As soon as you get any sign of warm weather, people get out,” said Phil McCormick, the state coordinator of the motorcycle advocacy group ABATE, or A Brotherhood Aimed Toward Education.

Early season riding can be dangerous because other motorists aren't expecting to see two-wheelers so early in the season, and motorcycle riders also contend with gravel left over from winter, he said.

'Your corners are a little trickier,” McCormick said of gravel. 'You can't take them as fast, and it hinders your stopping, too. The best thing to do is let that gravel get washed off first before you get out and ride.”

He said he waits for the spring rain to clear the road.

Iowa's not alone. Northern neighbors in Minnesota have seen 11 motorcycle fatalities to start 2015, which is the most to this point in the year since 1993, according to a report in the Minnesota Star Tribune.

According to the Iowa DOT, none of the people involved in the Iowa motorcycle fatalities this year were wearing helmets. Iowa is one of only three states with no motorcycle helmet laws, although several states only require helmets on children.

'Do we believe helmets would save some of those lives? Yes, we do,” Hoye said. 'But, currently in Iowa, there's not a law on the books.”

Hoye said the safety bureau tracks motorcycle fatalities closely.

In recent years they've been puzzled by a trend where overall traffic fatalities have declined, but motorcycle fatalities have not.

He said in the last three years 40 percent of motorcycle fatalities have involved someone without a valid motorcycle license, which is required by law in Iowa. One of the strategies they will try this year is to get more riders licensed, he said.

'That tells me that's a training thing,” Hoye said. 'How do we reach that group riding without the license?”

Kirkwood Community College offers motorcycle training classes as part of its continuing education program, including a basic rider course for $199.