More riders, more accidents at rally

While the  Black Hills prepared for an unprecedented rally, traffic numbers showed only a modest increase over last year’s attendance. Despite the lackluster numbers traffic accidents overall were up, while the number of  fatal accidents remained the same. On Friday Aug 6, a 58-year-old male traveling southeast on Old Hill City Road died as he  failed to negotiate a curve and went into the ditch. The rally officially began later that evening. 

Not all accidents in the area involved motorcycles.

On  Saturday near the Three Forks intersection, a 1997 Dodge 1500 pickup traveling westbound Hwy. 16 struck a motorcycle as it  prepared to make a left-hand turn into a campground. The 20-year-old male driver of the motorcycle sustained minor injuries and  charges are pending against the truck’s driver. 

South Rockerville Road, Playhouse Road and Iron Mountain Road each saw accidents this year stemming from motorcyclists who failed to negotiate curves, a common issue during rally time. More unusual accidents do occur. 

On Wednesday two Harleys traveling in opposite directions  and too close to the center line collided when their handlebars touched on Hwy. 16A. 

“The Highway Patrol has always said the bigger crowd, the more chance there are for crashes,” said Tony Mangan with the South Dakota Department of Public Safety. Mangan says that several causes of crashes  “seem to stand out each year: Not being able to negotiate a curve, following too closely, having to stop suddenly, drinking and driving and hitting an animal. We always tell motorcycle riders and vehicle drivers it is important during the rally (as well as other times of the year) to stay alert – watch for others, slow down, don’t drink and drive, don’t get distracted and wear a seat belt or helmet.” 

Color coded maps showing the expertise level of roads in the area are a helpful tool for both novice riders and those who have come to the rally before. There were four fatalities this year, compared to five last year.

The SDDOT makes safety and traffic control a high priority.

What it takes to get the roads ready for the influx of riders is quite an undertaking.

Rich Zacher, Custer area engineer for SDDOT says planning begins in March and the work the state does continues after the rally ends.

“We hold ‘after event’ meetings shortly after the rally to see where improvements can be made to the plan for the next year,” he said.  

Rally planning has evolved over the years making it safer for all those affected.

“The DOT used to have employees work as flagmen at the busier intersections.  The current plan originated as an attempt to get our people off the road for safety reasons,” Zacher said. “Other enhancements have been made as technology has become available.”

While Sturgis is the focus of most of the SDDOT plans, other areas in the Hills take on a new look during the rally. 

The state set up six intersections where portable signal trailers are used to control traffic. Timings are modified based on traffic conditions. One such signal was placed at Three Forks where Hwys. 16 and 385 meet.

Seventeen  portable message boards are positioned throughout the area during the rally. Iron Mountain Road’s message boards alert riders to sharp curves.

The state has an emergency plan for Interstate 90  with four levels of contingencies. Sixty five type three barricades with sandbags  are stored at the Sturgis shop that can be deployed in the event of a major incident in the City of Sturgis or east of the City of Sturgis.

Planning for the volume of riders who will come is not an exact science. The SDDOT uses numbers from the tourism industry to determine which of two plans it will implement into action.

“We use local hotel and campground reservation numbers to try to get a feel for the size of rally to expect and which plan to use,” Zacher said. 

One plan is a basic plan, which is used in most typical years. Another plan is based on the success and numbers from the 75th anniversary rally year.

“The plan put together for the 75th is a great resource that limits the amount of time we spend planning each year,” Zacher said. “Planning for the 75th was our biggest effort. We now have two rally plans. The expanded plan is set aside for the five-year anniversaries.”

As for how many riders actually do come, that number is also based on data collected.

The DOT has current and historical information for vehicles entering Sturgis.

“We have traffic counters set up in nine different locations capturing all vehicles entering Sturgis,” Zacher said. “The assumption is that every rally-goer makes at least one trip into Sturgis. We know that many rally-goers will make several trips into Sturgis. We do not know how the traffic counts relate to numbers of people attending the rally,  but  it does give a measure of the rally as compared to the previous rallies.”

Traffic count  numbers through day seven of the events show 423,273 vehicles entering Sturgis this year as compared with 365,979 vehicles for the same time frame last year. Final numbers for the entire rally saw 525,768 vehicles, up 13.8 percent from 462,182 a year ago, but well down from the 747,032 reported for the 75th rally in 2015.

Even with higher attendance, spending seemed similar to last year  according to vendors in the area.

Most vendors saw steady food traffic and considered it a good year.

“We’ve never had a location here before,” said an employee at the Sodak Shack at Three Forks. “It’s about what we expected.” 

Cindy Werp at Rider Styles by Bad Attitudes said she saw slightly more people than last year. But  the extra foot traffic didn’t translate into an increase in spending. as she thinks she made  close to the same dollar amount as last year. This is her sixth year at Three Forks.

Busters Leather Works also had a good year.

“About 80 percent of our business comes from repeat customers,”  said   owner Joyce Koening. She also notes sales were similar to last year.

Vendors noted that increased fees by certain municipalities cause more competition for dollars. Some who used to sell in Sturgis have been priced out of that city. Others noted that small towns in Wyoming that used to welcome rally goers have suddenly changed their tune. Location is one factor that goes into  whether a vendor does well or not. Having merchandise exclusive to a location is important. Another factor is how much merchandise a vendor brings.

The 81st Sturgis Motorcycle Rally did provide some of the best weather conditions rally-goers have ever seen. Many riders who have been coming to the Hills for years were thrilled at not having to dodge storms or deal with intense heat or hail.

“I’ve been hailed on, rained on, even snowed on,” said Shane Olson from Savage, Minn. “But this year, other than the wind, it was a pretty nice week.”

Next year’s Sturgis Motorcycle Rally takes place Aug. 5-14.