Motorcycles Deadlier than War

It would appear that the incidence of United States Marines dying in motorcycle accidents has outpaced Marine deaths in Iraq. A problem so serious that Commandant of the US Marines, General James Conway will be meeting specifically with other members of the top brass to address it.

In the past 12 months, 25 US Marines have died in motorcycle accidents, all but one of them involving high-speed bikes that can attain speeds in excess of 100mph. Compare this to 20 deaths in Iraq, the US Marines are concerned. It would also appear other branches of the US military are seeing similar problems.

The rise in motorcycle deaths isn’t confined to Marines. The Navy says it’s had 33 deaths on motorcycles over the past 12 months — a 65 percent jump from the previous time period. And authorities say motorcycle deaths have been a problem in the civilian world, too.

Military officials say they’re not sure why the deaths are on the rise. They initially believed the accidents might involve mostly young Marines and sailors around 18 or 19 years old. But Navy statistics show that five of the victims were 25, the most prevalent of any age involved in the crashes. And two 40-year-old sailors were killed in motorcycle crashes.

Marine motorcycle deaths top their Iraq combat fatalities, CNN