On 8/25/2006 8:39 AM Matt Whiting mumbled something about the following:
NrDg wrote:

"Charles Talleyrand" wrote in message
ups.com...

I fly a small airplane (a Cessna 150) that is well maintained. I fly
over forests in good weather and typically during the day. My biggest
fear is the engine quits over the forest and I have no place to make a
deadstick landing except the tops of large trees.

I drive a moderate motorcycle (a Honda Nighthawk 750) at moderate
speeds through my small town and through the surrounding forests. My
biggest fears are either that I will slide on a patch of dirt on the
road and crash or someone will hit me with their car through
inattention.

I've been asked several times which of these things is more dangerous.
Can anyone provide some statistics on this?


What I have heard and believe myself is that the risk of death is
similar for both activities on average. Hazards are different. Private
pilots tend to do themselve in with their own mistakes. Riders get got
by others a lot more.

It has been a while, but my recollection is that the Hurt report doesn't
bear out the claim that motorcycles are more often done in by others. I
believe more than 50% of the motorcycle fatalities involved only the
motorcyclist.

Matt

His statement is correct. More motorcyclists are done in by others than
pilots are done in by others. He didn't claim that the majority of
motorcycle fatalities are the result of other motorists.

If only 45% of motorcycle fatalities are by other motorists, that's a
much larger percentage of airplane fatalities by other pilots.