From a press release issued by AMA:

AMA SAYS JANKLOW CASE PART OF DEADLY NATIONAL TREND

PICKERINGTON, Ohio — The tragic accident last weekend that claimed the life of a Minnesota motorcyclist is an all-too-common occurrence on the nation’s highways, reports the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA).

On Saturday, August 16, motorcyclist Randolph Scott of Hardwick, Minn., was killed in a collision with a car driven by U.S. Rep. Bill Janklow (R-S.D.). The fatal accident took place at the intersection of two county roads in eastern South Dakota.

Police reports note that there is a stop sign on Moody County Road 13, on which Janklow was headed south, while County Road 14, on which Scott was headed west, is a through road with no stop sign. Reports released by police investigators indicate that Janklow’s car, traveling at speeds estimated at 70-75 mph, did not stop at the stop sign and continued into the path of the motorcycle, giving the rider no chance to avoid the fatal collision.

AMA officials point out that this type of accident, in which a car or other vehicle violates the right of way of a motorcycle, is the greatest hazard motorcyclists face on the road. The most comprehensive study ever conducted into motorcycle accidents found that nearly 75 percent of motorcycle accidents involve another vehicle, and that in almost two-thirds of those crashes, the cause could be traced to the other vehicle violating the motorcyclist’s right-of-way.

“We’ve known for a long time about the dangers of car drivers violating motorcyclists’ right-of-way,” said Ed Moreland, AMA vice president for government relations. “That danger, combined with the excessive speed and failure to obey a stop sign reported in this case, produced reckless behavior that took the life of an innocent motorcyclist.”

For more than a year, the AMA has been involved in a campaign called Motorcyclists Matter that focuses attention on the dangers faced by motorcyclists and other vulnerable road users, including bicyclists and pedestrians, as a result of drivers who violate their right-of-way. The Association is also campaigning in Washington, D.C., for funding for a new study into the causes of motorcycle accidents — the first in more than two decades.