Supersport bikes show highest death rates

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Riders of supersport motorcycles have a death rate that's three times as high as the overall average for motorbikes, said a study Tuesday.

There were 22.5 deaths per 10,000 registered motorcycles in 2005, compared to 7.5 deaths per 10,000 for all types of motorcycles, according to a study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).

The Kawasaki Ninja, a supersport motorcycle

There were 4,050 motorcycle-related fatalities in 2005.

Supersport motorcycles have more powerful engines than most other bikes, and they are lighter, typically having more horsepower per pound than other types.

Many have higher horsepower per pound ratios than Nascar vehicles, and can reach speeds of 190 miles per hour.

"Supersport motorcycles are indeed nimble and quick, but they also can be deadly," said Anne McCartt, IIHS's senior vice president for research. "These bikes made up less than 10 percent of registered motorcycles in 2005 but accounted for over 25 percent of rider deaths. Their insurance losses were elevated, too."

Speeding and driver error caused more of the fatal crashes with supersport bikes, compared to other classes, with 57 percent of supersport riders' fatal crashes involving high speeds in 2005. This compares to 46 percent of the crashes of sport bikes, 27 percent of cruiser cases, and 22 percent of touring.

"Supersport motorcycles have such elevated crash death rates and insurance losses because many people ride them as if they were on a racetrack," McCartt said. "Short of banning supersport and sport motorcycles from public roadways, capping the speed of these street-legal racing machines at the factory might be one way to reduce their risk."

Supersport motorcycles are also popular targets for thieves. Their average theft loss payments per insured vehicle year were more than 7 times higher than the average for all 2002-06 bikes.

The second highest death rate was for sport and unclad sport bikes, which are similar to supersports, with 10.7 deaths per 10,000 motorcycles.

Rates for other motorcycles were much lower. Cruisers and standards had a death rate of 5.7 per 10,000 bikes in 2005. The rate for touring motorcycles was 5.3 per 10,000.

At the same time, helmet use fell, with only 51 percent of riders now wearing helmets certified by the Department of Transportation, down from 71 percent five years ago.

Overall motorcycle ridership is rising, with registrations climbing 51 percent between 2000 and 2005.

Supersport bikes have seen some of the largest growth, with registrations rising 83 percent in that five-year period.