Pleasant Grove, AL, May 1, 2011 — Disaster survivors return to their home sites to search for their belongings after a series of tornadoes destroyed homes in the areas of rural Northeastern Alabama. President Obama signed Alabama’s Major Disaster Declaration and ordered Federal aid to supplement State and local recovery efforts in the area struck by severe storms. Adam DuBrowa/ FEMA

Smithville, MS, May 1, 2011 — This is what is left of the Smithville Police department after the devasting tornado on April 27th. Five people, including the Police Chief, rode out the storm here and survived. FEMA photo / Tim Burkitt

Tuscaloosa, AL, May 1, 2011 — Homes and properties destroyed by the tornado April 27th await cleanup and recovery. FEMA photo / Tim Burkitt

http://www.cdc.gov/features/dsMotorcycleSafety/?source=govdelivery

A recent CDC study found that:

• Between 2001 and 2008, more than 34,000 motorcyclists were killed and an estimated 1,222,000 persons were treated in a U.S. emergency department (ED) for a non-fatal motorcycle-related injury.
• The highest death and injury rates were among 20-24 year-olds, followed by 25-29 year-olds.
• More than half of all nonfatal injuries treated in EDs were to the leg/foot (30%) or head/neck (22%).
• Motorcyclist death rates increased 55% from 2001 to 2008 (1.12 per 100,000 persons in 2001 to 1.74 per 100,000 persons in 2008).
• The number of nonfatal motorcyclist injuries that were treated in EDs also increased, from nearly 120,000 injuries in 2001 to about 175,000 in 2008.