• In 2006, 88,000 motorcyclists were injured in highway accidents alone.
• In 2006, 4,810 motorcyclists were killed in road accidents.
• 11 percent of all roadway accidents that occur in the United States involve motorcycles.
• Head injury is the leading cause of death in motorcycle crashes. 
• A motorcyclist not wearing a helmet is 40 percent more likely to die of a head injury than one who wears a helmet.
• A motorcyclist not wearing a helmet is 15 percent more likely to suffer a nonfatal injury than one who wears a helmet.
• It is estimated that helmets reduce the likelihood of a crash fatality by 37 percent.
• In 2007, a total of 7.1 million motorcycles were registered in the U.S.
• In 2005, the motorcycle fatality rate was 73 per 100,000 registered motorcycles; meanwhile, the passenger vehicle fatality rate in the same year was 14 per 100,000 registrations.
• Motorcycle use is growing disproportionally to fatality growth.  For instance, in 1997 there were 3,826,373 motorcycles registered in the U.S. and 2,116 motorcycle fatalities.  In 2005, there were 6,227,146 motorcycles registered in the U.S. and 4,810 motorcycle fatalities.  So, between 1997 and 2005, registrations grew 63 percent while fatalities more than doubled.

A 2009 Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s Highway Loss Data Institute report found that:

• More than half of motorcyclist deaths involved at least one other vehicle.
• 42 percent of two-vehicle fatal motorcycle crashes involved a vehicle turning left while the motorcycle was going straight, passing, or overtaking the vehicle.
• A little less than half of all motorcycle driver deaths involved no other vehicle.
• Of the1,791 motorcycle deaths that involved only the motorcyclist
  • 48 percent were speeding.
  • 42 percent had blood alcohol concentrations of 0.08 percent or higher.
  • 655,000 motorcycles were purchased, a decrease from 1.1 million in 2008.

Possible Causes of a Motor Vehicle Accidents

• Poor weather conditions;
• Not utilizing a turn signal;
• Lane splitting, i.e. when a motorcyclist drives between two lanes;
• Ignoring traffic conditions;
• Ignoring traffic signs;
• Disobeying speed limitations;
• Driving on the wrong side of the road;
• Not seeing a motorcyclist due to glare or other view obstructions;
• Inexperienced motorists;
• Driving while under the influence of drugs;
• Vehicle defects;
• Roadway defects;
• Intentional hostile actions.

Information kindly provided by MotorcycleAccident.Org 

For more info on bike safety visit: http://www.motorcycleaccident.org/

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My BackTracker series of novels features bikers and biker gangs.  However, my rough and rowdies characters are more more concerned about getting killed by each other, rival gangsters, or the cops than by road hazzards.

Click here THE TRAZ  to sample or purchase the first book in the series.  BACKTRACKER: the sequel to The Traz will be released Spring 2012.

When at the Lost Valley dude ranch in Colorado last week, surrounded by falling snow, we asked the gift shop lady if she had any toques--we got a blank stare.

Why we wanted a toque...

Toque (pronounced two-k) is, according the Collins Canadian English Dictionary "a small round hat". That's not how I'd define the knitted ware us Canucks slide down over our noggins to keep out the cold.  That 'small round' hat is only small and round if ones' head is small and round.  As those in the know know, knit fabrics tend to take the shape of whatever it is one wraps in it. 

At least, however, the Collins Canadian English Dictionary acknowledges 'toque' as a word, although 't-o-q-u-e' is not how I'd spell it.  It ends up looking like 'toke' and I don't like all the criminal implications associated with that word.  No, if I had my druthers, it would be spelled 't-o-u-q-u-e',  but I have yet to find a dictionary that agrees with me.

So what do people who aren't Canadians call these knitted winter hats? We enquired and learned that those in Tennessee likely called them 'toboggans'.  Toboggan, according to Collins Canadian English Diction is a 'narrow sledge for sliding over snow'--which closely matches my definition.  Except I would add that the front of this narrow sledge, which is made of wood slats, curls up and back over the toes of those who sit on it.

Not all Americans call toques, 'toboggans'.  Those in Alabama will likely shortened it to 'boggans'.  To some, according to my fellow dudes and dudines, they are simply hats--winter hats.

 Toques were obviously not the most popular headware at Lost Valley Ranch

This week marks the launch of the 2012 FireFighters fundraising Calendar. My son's picture made the back cover.

The St. Paul volunteer fire department responded to 118 calls in 2010, from traffic collisions to structure fires to alarm bells to grass fires.

Visit www.firefighters1st.com Purchase a calendar. Learn more fun facts about firefighting. Peruse the awesome gallery of photos--maybe even buy one.

According to the Alberta Conservation Association, pronghorns easily lope at 50 km/h, cruises at 70 km/h, and can sprint at 90 km/h for several minutes.  They can cover over six meters in a single leap.

http://www.ab-conservation.com/go/default/assets/File/Publications/conservationMagazine/issues/fallWinter2011-12/ACA%20V17%20FINAL%20WR.pdf

"Compare that to a race horse that gallops along at 55 km/h or a whitetailed deer on the run, that bounds away at 40 km/h. A cheetah, the fastest mammal on the planet, can sprint only slightly faster than a pronghorn, attaining speeds up to 110 km/h, but the cheetah must stop running after 300 to 400 metres to prevent its body from lethallyoverheating.

The cheetah also needs to rest for 30 to 40 minutes afterwards to recover. The pronghorn, like the toy bunny on television commercials, just keeps on going."

...the reason leaves turn colour in the autumn is that shorter fall days mean trees stop producing chlorophyll allowing their true colours to show?  The Weather Network 

So....the "true" colour of leaves is NOT green.  Who'da thought?

Did you know...diagonal stripes on UK and European neckties run from high on the left side down to the right hip while stripes on North American ties are the opposite?  Usually.

The neckties in the above image are likely British.

Knowing this trivia could some day provide a valuable clue in solving a mystery...or not.

...women blink twice as often as men?

My trivia contest is over, but I'm still a fun-facts buff.

I learned about blinking this morning during my annual eye exam.  I'm not sure WHY women blink more often than men, but apparently we really do "bat our eyelashes" a lot.

The next time you're not sure if you're sitting across from a man or woman--count the blinks. 

Hmmmm, perhaps I can use that bit of trivia in my next novel.  An important clue that helps solve a mystery...

Here are the winners and their prizes:

Earlybird draw winner of Cheryl K Tardif's THE RIVER: Sarah Butland  

Three special draw winners from those who commented on Cheryl K Tardif's trivia. Prize: eBooks LANCELOT'S LADY Winners: Renita Jenkins, Kelly Komm, Jackie Fairborther Robinson

Consolation prize: Angela White's 3 books in her LIFE AFTER WAR series in pdf format Winner: Gabrielle Campbell  

Grande Prize 13-book prize pool: Winner: Beth Reinke  

The Grande Prize included: Angela White

TWISTS & TURNS (signed), PDF thrilling short story

SHORTS & SWEETS is a collection of Fantasy, Horror, and Romance stories PDF

THE SURVIVORS (Deluxe edition) PDF

THE MOUNTAINEERS PDF Book I of futuristic ALEXA'S TRAVELS series  

Eileen Schuh THE TRAZ - ebook SCHRÖDINGER’S CAT (winner's choice eBook or print)  

Gerald Weinberg EARTH'S ENDLESS EFFORT paperback  

Darden North, Md. HOUSE CALL signed paperback POINTS OF ORIGIN signed hardcover first edition

Alina Adams multimedia ebook SKATE CRIME MULTIMEDIA  

Donna Carrick THE FIRST EXCELLENCE  

Alex Carrick THREE SCOOPS IS A BLAST  

Aaron Lehman THE MYSTERY OF DOG ISLAND

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Sample or buy THE  TRAZ: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005199RFE http://smashwords.com/b/60190

...the blast from a thermal detonation is so bright, it will blind every living thing that happens to be facing in that direction?  Even with their eyes shut tight. Scary stuff.

Angela White is the Author of 10 books, including an apocalyptic horror series titled Life After War and a fantasy apocalypse set called Alexa's Travel's. She is also the Owner of Cloud 9 Publications and The 2012 Survival Blog.

For more information on Angela and her books, visit:

http://ns120110513211232-7824199.webstarts.com/?r=20110524111606

Thank you to Angela for this trivia and for chipping 7 books into the prize pool.  You're the best!

...that one 5Mt(Megaton) Warhead can completely destroy an area larger than a city?

During the research for my Apocalyptic Fiction series, I found out it would devastate 60 square miles in every direction and seriously damage another 200-300 miles. Imagine what a larger missile would do!

Stay tuned for another catastrophic trivia fact from author, Angela White.

Angela White is the Author of 10 books, including an apocalyptic horror series titled Life After War and a fantasy apocalypse set called Alexa's Travel's. She is also the Owner of Cloud 9 Publications and The 2012 Survival Blog.

Angela is generously offering 7 ebooks as contest prizes.  Leave a comment beneath this posting and all other Did you know...? Contest Trivia posts for chances to win Angela's books and/or books being offered by other participating authors.