There’s been a slow shift in the demographics of California’s motorcycle riders. No more is the average motorcyclist a young daredevil zipping up and down the freeway. These days, motorcyclists are likely to be much older. In fact in 2003, the average age for motorcycle owners rose from 27 to 41 – a quantum leap that has California traffic safety experts worried as the number of accidents too rise dramatically.

According to a report by Sign on San Diego, hospitals across California are noticing an increase in the number of baby boomers being admitted for motorcycle accident related injuries.

This trend of older men developing an affinity for bikes is not so hard to gauge, and it’s not mid-life crises either. Most of these baby boomers have been able to see their kids through college, and are finally free from family responsibilities. They celebrate this new-found freedom by getting adventurous and what could be more adventurous than buying a powerful Yamaha? What they don’t realize is that the bikes have left them far behind as far as power and strength go. These are not the bikes of their youth and they aren’t the drivers they used to be. The result? Last year, nearly 23 percent of motorcycle accident fatalities were between the ages of 40 and 49, 18 per cent were between 50 and 59 years of age and 7 per cent were more than 59 years of age.

Nationwide statistics echo this trend. In 2006, the percentage of motorcyclists above the age of 45 injured in accidents was 24 percent.

It’s not just the lean mean machines and the not so lean and mean riders that are responsible for this increase in injuries and fatalities. Physique has a lot to do with it. Generally, you can expect a 25-year-old injured in an accident to recover faster and with lesser physical damage than a 60-year-old in the same accident. Body girth and physical fitness have a role to play too.

If you have been injured in a motorcycle accident, contact the California motorcycle accident lawyers at The Reeves Law Group for a free consultation