Fuel the fund: AMA contributes $100,000 to crash-study fundraising effort

It's been more than 25 years since the only comprehensive study of motorcycle crashes in the United States was completed.

For most of the past five years, the AMA has been working hard to get federal authorization for a new, updated study.

And now we're close—really close. But we need your help.

If you've been involved in motorcycling any amount of time, you've probably heard about the Hurt Report, which was the popular name of the research conducted in the late 1970s into motorcycle crashes and their causes.

The Hurt Report, named after lead researcher Harry Hurt, was where we first learned a lot of really important information. For instance, that study revealed the dangers of oncoming cars turning left into motorcyclists, noted that riders with less than five months experience on the bike they were riding were much more likely to be involved in a crash, and quantified the real-world benefits of wearing a helmet.

The Hurt Report still provides plenty of valuable insights for anyone interested in motorcycle safety. But the world has changed a lot in the last 25 years, and we know that a new study will provide updated information that could help save your life on the road.

"Motorcycle safety experts still base a significant portion of their work on the Hurt Report, which just goes to show what landmark research Hurt did," says Edward Moreland, AMA vice president for government relations.

Here's the good news: Last year, Congress finally approved federal funding for a new, comprehensive study of motorcycle crashes.

Lawmakers even designated the group that will conduct the research: the Oklahoma Transportation Center, an independent and respected research center located at Oklahoma State University.

But there's one string attached. The federal grant for this research requires the user community—that means us—to come up with matching funds before the federal grant will be released.

Here's how the math works: The federal government has pledged up to $2.8 million to this project. And it's requiring 50 percent matching funding from us. That means we need to raise $2.8 million of our own to get this study done.

The AMA believes so strongly in this effort that we've committed $100,000 immediately to the project. And we're asking companies in the industry to pledge money as well.

But we're also asking individual motorcyclists to get involved, through a fund-raising effort we're calling "Fueling the Fund."

"In recent years," Moreland says, "we've seen motorcycling-related fatalities increase, and we've heard a lot of speculation about the causes.

"What we haven't heard," he adds, "is unbiased research that will help us save lives.

"This study will help us understand the true causes of motorcycle crashes and find ways to prevent them."

Want to help get those answers? Send your donation to: Fueling the Fund, c/o AMA, 13515 Yarmouth Drive, Pickerington, OH 43147 or make a secure donation online.