More bike accidents occure during full moon, supermoon: Study

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More bike accidents occure during full moon, supermoon: Study
More bike accidents occure during full moon, supermoon: Study

Washington : In unbelievable but true facts more motorcyclists encountered with accidents during full moon or supermoon, a new study finds.

According to the data found in the study, motorcycle crashes in the United States from 1975 to 2014, motorcyclists were more likely to die in crashes on nights with full moons.

The researchers revealed that even more accidents were reprorted during the week of supermoon.

"Our study suggests that extra care is needed when riding a motorcycle under a full moon," said lead study author Dr. Donald Redelmeier, a professor of medicine at the University of Toronto, in Canada.

The study has been published in the Christmas issue of the journal The BMJ.

According to the available data, nearly 5000 people die in motorcycle crashes every year in the United States. That means that for every seven road traffic deaths, one is motorcycle related, Redelmeier said. "The average ride on a motorcycle is more dangerous than a drunk driver with no seatbelt traveling the same distance," Redelmeier told Live Science.

But full moons and supermoons are measurable variables that could distract motorcyclists; they're big and lustrous, especially supermoons, which can be up to 30 percent brighter than regular full moons.

To investigate, the scientists combed through data from the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and found all of the motorcycle fatalities occurring from 4 p.m. to 8 a.m. local time over a period of 40 years. This data set included 494 full moons and 65 supermoons.