SPRINGFIELD - Vern Hanks has been teaching motorcycle safety classes since the 1970s, but the kind of students he's sees has changed over time.

Hanks, 59, teaches a safety class at Illinois State University that's much like similar programs across the state and country.

In Illinois, would-be motorcyclists who are 16 or 17 years old must pass the class before they're allowed to ride, but in those classes often meant for young people, Hanks said he's noticed something else.

The riders wanting to learn the basics of motorcycle safety appear to be getting older.

"It's not unusual to have people in their 70s or even the 80s in these classes," Hanks said.

Trends also suggest older motorcyclists may need to be more careful on the road.

Over the past decade, fatal accidents on motorcycles in Illinois are claiming more people older than 45.

While the actual number of fatal wrecks has gone up and down in Illinois in recent years, people in the oldest age group are making up a greater number of those who die while riding motorcycles.

In 1989, according to state records, just 6.4 percent of people who died riding motorcycles were older than 45. In 1996, that number grew to 17.8 percent.

In 2006, nearly 40 percent of all people who died after motorcycle crashes were 45 and older, state records show.

Hanks said that one factor could simply be that older riders, like older drivers, could be more likely to have slower reflexes or patchy vision.

But another factor is solid: More people of retirement age are buying motorcycles.

Getting back on

Rob Hocking, sales manager at Black Diamond Harley-Davidson in Marion, said the company often directs its marketing toward people who have retired and therefore have the disposable income to afford the pricey bikes and the myriad accessories that go with them.

"Kids are gone, college is paid for," Hocking said. "Time for me now."

But not all new Harley riders are brand new. Many might take a break from the riding enthusiasm they had in their 20s when they get married or take on full-time work, but once retirement hits, they may decide to get back on.

A history of riding, even if it was decades ago, might inspire a false confidence about riding that might encourage someone to skip safety classes or not take necessary precautions.

In other words, starting, stopping and turning an 800-pound, 400-horsepower machine isn't exactly like riding a bicycle - you can forget how to do it right - said Dan Harper, government affairs director for Illinois the motorcycle enthusiast group, A Brotherhood Aimed Towards Education, or ABATE.

"People have to realize they can't just jump on a motorcycle," Harper said.

But not everyone thinks education is the only answer. State Sen. John Cullerton, D-Chicago, has been pushing for a mandatory helmet law since the mid-1980s. ABATE has successfully fended off his efforts.

Aside from that, Cullerton doesn't think more education necessarily will prevent more deaths than a helmet would.

A majority of motorcycle accidents are caused by a car or truck hitting the bike - accidents the rider can't prevent. Cullerton argues that education, in those situations, wouldn't prevent wrecks.

"That education might help," he said. "But it doesn't take care of two-thirds of the cause."

A larger trend

The numbers in Illinois showing more older riders are dying on motorcycles reflect a national trend. In 1997, people 40 and older made up 33 percent of motorcycle deaths nationwide. In 2004, it was 46 percent.

The state tracks age statistics and some safety information the state distributes addresses the trend. Most state programs don't deal with the issue directly, but the Illinois Department of Transportation runs safety campaigns, including, for example, $70,000 spent on motorcycle safety radio ads this year.

Ray Ochs, director of training systems at the Motorcycle Safety Foundation, said the California-based group noticed the trend about four years ago and began developing a curriculum to specifically target older riders.

"We try to impress upon them that they're not the same as they were," he said.

Raymond Swinda, a longtime rider from Decatur, said motorcycles also are changing: Someone wanting to ride again might be underestimating their machine.

"Most of them know how to ride," said Swinda, a local ABATE official. "They override their ability."

Swinda was involved in a crash in 2003 and escaped with broken legs. He was hit by a car while stopped at a traffic light. The driver hit him and drove off.

The injuries caused the only break in Swinda's riding since the early 1970s. As a local enthusiast, he said he often encounters riders ready to begin again after a break of decades.

He encourages them to take a class but finds many are offended at the idea of taking a beginners course. Swinda said he tries to direct them to more advanced classes where they can learn some of the finer details of motorcycle safety learned by longtime veterans such as him.

"That course, will, in fact, teach you little bitty secrets," he said.

That, Swinda said, could make a big difference.

Mike Riopell can be reached at mike.riopell@lee.net or 789-0865.