Atlanta Motorcycle Accident Lawyer - Tribute to Harry Hurt
Atlanta motorcycle accident lawyers and motorcycle safety groups have lost one of the world’s pioneering authorities on motorcycle safety. Harry Hurt, of the Hurt’s Report, died last week at the age of 81.
As an Atlanta motorcycle accident lawyer, I believe Hurt’s biggest professional achievement was the Hurt Report, which investigated 900 motorcycle accidents in Los Angeles between 1976 and 1977. The investigation led to a better understanding of the causes of motorcycle crashes. The findings were published in 1981, and the research has not been followed by another motorcycle crash study since. The findings of the Hurt Report have helped American regulators understand the causes of motorcycle crashes, leading to the development of safety procedures to reduce them.
Among the Hurt Report’s primary findings were some that were quite startling at the time.
- Speed was not a factor in most motorcycle accidents.
- Helmet use could prevent serious injuries, such as brain injuries and fatalities.
- Most accidents occurred when motorists violated the motorcyclist’s right of way.
Harry Hurt’s interest in motorcycle safety began early. As a graduate student, he participated in a project to develop a crash helmet, which is used as a prototype of sorts for modern helmets. However, it was only after he joined the University of Southern California as faculty, that he really developed an interest in motor vehicle safety.
In the years since the Hurt Report was published, there have been major enhancements made to motorcycle safety. Helmet use is now considered the single biggest factor standing between a motorcyclist and traumatic brain injury. We also know now that motorcyclists are often injured because of a motorist’s failure to yield. Unfortunately, the time has come for new studies into motorcycle crash causation. Fatality rates in these accidents have increased by more than 100 percent over the past decade. It would be the ultimate tribute to Harry Hurt if we follow up his 1981 ground breaking study with a new one that might provide some answers and solutions to the current high fatality rates in motorcycle wrecks.
