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The popularity of scooters and motorcycles surged right along with gas prices. Crashes involving motorbikes killed two people and injured several others during the weekend.
We looked into the numbers to see whether more riders means more deaths.
The number of registered motorcycles has nearly doubled in the last four years. Usually, when there are more motorists and riders on the road, fatalities rise.
It's full throttle for motorcycle and scooter sales.
Jeff Schoetz, the manager of Plaza Cycle said, "Anything that's street legal has been hard to keep in stock."
As Utahns try to get more miles out of a gallon of gas, two-wheeled transportation is the answer for more and more people.
"People are sick of paying $5 a gallon for their diesel trucks, so they come in here and buy a motorcycle that gets 40 or 50 miles per gallon, on average," Schoetz said.
Many new riders recognize they can't take their safety for granted. Bo Sheperd is a new rider. He said, "When I'm on the bike, I go the speed limit. I'm very safe. I want to make sure, 100 percent."
When it comes to highway statistics, more miles almost always translate into more deaths. So far, that's not the case.
Derek Miller of the Utah Highway Safety Division said, "When I say we're doing good, I hate one fatality. But when compared to last year's numbers, it's a really good thing, because we're even with where we were last year."
There were eight fatalities through early August last year, and there have been eight fatalities this year.
In 2004, there were nearly 41,000 registered motorcycles in Utah. That includes scooters. By 2006, there were 8,000 more. But in the last two years there has been a big surge as 24,000 more riders bought motorcycles.
Miller said, "With the increase of motorcycles on the road because of gas prices and things like that, I'm happy to say that we have the same number of fatalities this year as last year."
With more riders on the road covering more miles than ever before, those numbers likely will rise. "Wear your helmet," Miller advised. "Slow down. Drive safe."
We researched those motorcycle fatalities and found some telling numbers to help your family Stay Safe.
Of the 24 fatalitites this year, more than half, 13 of those riders, were not wearing helmets. In five of the crashes, officers don't know. Six riders, one-fourth, were wearing helmets.
In addition to helmets, safety advocates stress motorcycle safety training courses. The state gives incentives to those who take the course. And of the 25,000 riders who've taken the course, only three have been killed in motorcycle crashes.
Finally, motorcycle safety applies even to those who are driving cars, to be aware.
To learn more about motorcycle safety and staying safe on the roads, see the links on this page.
E-mail: jboal@ksl.com
