Motorcycle-riding safety advocate Hugh “Harry” Hurt authored what is widely described as the most comprehensive study of motorcycle safety. Hurt died of a heart attack on Nov. 29th. He was 81 years old. 
 
Hurt’s contribution to motorcycle safety was incalculable. Trained as an aerospace engineer, he started studying helmets and was a strong advocate of mandatory helmet laws.
 
His study, called "Motorcycle Accident Cause Factors and Identification of Countermeasures” was published in 1981. Based on a thorough investigation of more than 900 motorcycle accidents in the Los Angeles area in 1976 and 1977, it drew three primary conclusions:

• Motorcyclists often aren’t visible to car drivers who hit them.
• Too many riders don’t wear proper safety gear.
• Very few know how to successfully swerve and recover from a skid.

His team of investigators consisted entirely of motorcycle riders.
 
In addition to investigating crash scenes and interviewing survivors, Hurt’s team revisited accident sites on the same day of the week at the same time of day and in the same weather conditions to make observations and to interview other motorcyclists who had successfully navigated similar situations.
 
We covered the study here in the blog, when we first resumed motorcycle and scooter testing in 2008. (For further details of the study, read: “How to reduce the risk of getting hurt on a motorcycle.”)
 
While the respected "Hurt" study is old, its descriptions of motorcycle hazards are far from obsolete and are still credited with saving riders lives. In his proactive pursuit of safety, Hurt was a beacon for generations of riders to follow.
 
See our motorcycle and scooter buying advice and ratings.
 
—Eric Evarts