Harry Hurt

Harry Hurt

1927–2009

In 1975, about 10 percent of U.S. highway traffic fatalities were due to motor­cycle accidents, yet the federal government had never addressed the problem. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration approached Hugh “Harry” Hurt Jr., a safety engineer at the University of Southern California, to investigate. Hurt’s groundbreaking 1981 study is credited with pioneering the field of motorcycle crash research, saving countless lives in the process.

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Growing up in Big Spring, Texas, Hurt loved motorcycles, said The New York Times. “His first was a worn-out old Cushman scooter that he brought back to life.” Majoring in aeronautical engineering, “he graduated from Texas A&M University in 1950, then headed for Cal­ifornia on his 1947 Harley-Davidson 61.” As a USC graduate student he focused on vehicle safety and helped develop a crash helmet that formed the basis for models used today. For his government study, Hurt led a team that investigated 900 motorcycle accidents in the Los Angeles area. Through painstaking analysis, the team came up with 55 major findings. Among them: “Auto drivers frequently did not see motorcyclists in time to react to them; many motorcyclists needed more training in learning to control skids; and accidents occurred most frequently when a motorist made a left turn in front of an oncoming motorcycle.” The so-called Hurt Report also found that helmets that met official guidelines “drastically reduced head injuries.” Hurt’s work led to safety programs and state laws that mandated helmets on drivers and passengers alike.

Hurt, who never suffered a motorcycle crash, died of a heart attack.