LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- There has been a dramatic increase in the number of deadly motorcycle accidents in Louisville. In fact, there were three fatal crashes in less than a week.
We spoke with experts to try to find out why.
Part of the reason is just raw numbers. Good weather and high gas prices mean there are more motorcycles on the road.
Frank Jones has ridden his motorcycle from coast to coast, including Canada. In 40 years, he's had one major accident. The reason: Frank says he pays attention not just to his driving -- but everyone else's.
"It's a 2-way street," Jones said. "You got to look out for each other. Most motorcyclists, a lot of them nowadays, they don't drive defensively."
And if they did, police say, there would be fewer deadly crashes. LMPD says by this time last year, they had investigated two fatal motorcycle accidents. So far this year, there have been eight.
If there is one common thread through all these deadly crashes, it's this -- a lack of attention by drivers on both two and four wheels.
"A lot of that is the motorist," said Lt. Joe Seelye with LMPD's Traffic Division. But over 50 percent of the time, the motorcyclists themselves have been the ones that have been at fault in these accidents."
And police say, in most of the fatal crashes, the person killed in a motorcycle crash is not wearing a helmet, though that is not illegal in Kentucky or in Indiana.
"I would love for us to have at least a half-helmet law," Seelye said. "When you look at a vehicle, we're required to wear a seat-belt, we have air bags and frontal crash zones. On a motorcycle, it's just not worth not wearing a helmet."
Experts also urge motorcycle riders to get the proper training. One big problem is inexperienced riders buying more bike than they can handle.
"Younger people, if they decide that want to ride a motorcycle, they'll buy the fastest motorcycle they can get, and then they want to do wheelie's on them and stuff like this. That's what causes the problem a lot of them time," said Richard Epley of the Kentucky Driving School.
For Frank Jones, it comes down to simply having a healthy respect for his bike.
"I don't want to get killed on my motorcycle, but a lot of people, I guess, don't think that way. I always drive defensively."
Ironically, Kentucky State Police recently increased the requirements to obtain a motorcycle license. But LMPD officials say it will take some time for the effects of that new law to be seen on the roadways.
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