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By By Lynn Hulsey, Staff Writer Updated 2:56 PM Thursday, June 25, 2009

The motorcyclist whose passenger fell off on Interstate 75 last night, June 24, in Shelby County is an example of a disturbing statistical trend among cycle riders highlighted this week by the Ohio State Highway Patrol.

Citations for speed and license/endorsement violations are up, as are overall citations of motorcyclists, according to the patrol.

The woman who fell off survived, and is in serious condition today at Miami Valley Hospital. Other riders are not so lucky. The patrol says the yearly average of 187 motorcycle-involved fatalities from 2006 to 2008 is up 26 percent compared to the 2003-2005 average of 149.

“In 2008, there were 215 motorcycle related fatalities on Ohio roadways,” said Col. Richard H. Collins, patrol superintendent. “This is the highest number of annual motorcycle fatalities in the 25 years for which data is available.”

“Motorcyclists need to ride trained, ride licensed, ride sober and follow the proper speed limit to help prevent these tragedies from occurring on Ohio roadways.”

Paul S. Webster, 27, of Sidney faces multiple charges after the 8:12 p.m. accident just north of Sidney on I-75 Wednesday, June 24. He was driving 65 to 70 miles per hour with Alexsis Wildermuth, 24, of Sidney on his motorcycle, said Sgt. Paul Weber, assistant post commander of the Piqua Post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol. Weber said both had allegedly been drinking alcohol and were not wearing helmets.

“(He) quickly accelerated his speed, causing the passenger to fall off. Mr. Webster continued on and left the scene,” Weber said.

Authorities later found Webster in a residence in Sidney, where he was arrested and charged with driving under suspension, aggravated vehicular assault and aggravated leaving the scene of a crash, Weber said.

The patrol says 40 percent of motorcyclists involved in fatal crashes from 2006-2008 were alcohol- or drug impaired.

Motorcycle-involved crashes resulted in 562 fatalities and 12,032 injuries statewide from 2006-2008, according to the patrol.

Some of those deaths could be avoided and serious injuries averted by simply wearing a motorcycle helmet, said Dr. Mary McCarthy, director of the trauma program at Miami Valley Hospital. Helmets make a tremendous difference in motorcycle accidents and a high percentage of those without helmets have head injuries that doctor’s have few options for treating effectively, she said.

“The body can heal a lot of things, but the brain can’t heal,” McCarthy said.

The Patrol said the number of annual motorcycle registrations increased 16 percent between 2006-2008. If the citations of motorcyclists by the patrol is any measure, a number of riders are not following the rules.

In 2008, troopers issued 34 percent more citations to motorcyclists compared to 2006. During that 2006-2008 period 8,070 citations were issued. Of them 43 percent were for speed and 21 percent for license/endorsement violations, according to the patrol.

The number of citations for speed increased 25 percent, during that period and the citations for license/endorsement violations went up 32 percent.

In District 5, which includes Miami, Montgomery, Preble and Shelby counties, 937 citations were issued between 2006-2008. In District 8, which includes Warren and Greene counties, the number was 999.

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-7455 or lhulsey@DaytonDailyNews.com.

Motorcycle involved traffic fatalities:

County 2006 2007 2008 2009

Greene 2 3 1 0

Miami 2 1 2 0

Montgomery 5 6 10 1

Preble 2 0 4 0

Warren 1 2 4 1

Motorcycle involved enforcement stops by OSHP:

County 2006 2007 2008 2009

Greene 20 30 58 21

Miami 5 23 36 10