Marine motorcycle deaths top their Iraq combat fatalities

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Marine motorcycle deaths top their Iraq combat fatalities
Story Highlights
25 Marines killed on motorcycles in past 12 months, compared with 20 killed in Iraq

Top Marine official: "The Marines are very serious about" addressing problem

All but one of the deaths have involved super-fast sport bikes

Marines have recently implemented a mandatory sport-bike course

From Larry Shaughnessy
CNN Pentagon Producer

About 18,000 of the nearly 200,000 Marines are believed to own motorcycles, Amos said.

QUANTICO, Virginia (CNN) -- Motorcycle accidents have killed more Marines in the past 12 months than enemy fire in Iraq, a rate that's so alarming it has prompted top brass to call a meeting to address the issue, officials say. Twenty-five Marines have died in motorcycle crashes since last November -- all but one of them involving sport bikes that can reach speeds of well over 100 mph, according to Marine officials. In that same period, 20 Marines have been killed in action in Iraq.

The 25 deaths are the highest motorcycle death toll ever for the Marine Corps.

Gen. James Amos, the assistant commandant of the Marine Corps, told CNN that commanders are trying to drill down on what "we need to do to help our Marines survive on these sport bikes."

"The Marines are very serious about it," he said.
Watch these aren't your father's Harleys »
Marine Gunnery Sgt. Art Tucker knows all too well about the dangers of sport bikes. An owner of a Kawasaki Ninja, Tucker has had two crashes, and the second one nearly killed him.
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http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/10/30/marine.motorcycles/index.html