Background
Hurt was born in Big Spring in West Texas, and grew up in that community. He was an only child, and his father worked in the banking industry.
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Harry Hurt
Edit ProfileEducation
Hurt graduated from Texas Agricultural and Mechanical University in 1950, and was an air transport pilot for the United States Navy during the Korean War.
Career
He was the author of the 1981, described as "the most comprehensive motorcycle safety study of the 20th century."
He then received a Masters degree in aeronautical engineering from the University of Southern California ( University of Southern California). Hurt, self-described as "scooter trash" in his youth, began riding on a Cushman scooter. He also owned and rode dozens of street and dirt motorcycles including a 1947 Harley-Davidson 61 Knucklehead, a 1968 Triumph Bonneville, a 1975 Norton Commando, and a 1979 Triumph Bonneville.
After receiving his Masters at University of Southern California, Hurt remained as a professor
In 1976-1977, Hurt and his team at University of Southern California performed 900 on-scene, in-depth motorcycle crash investigations and compiled data from 3,600 police reports. Investigators later returned to the scene of several hundred crashes they had investigated and tallied passing traffic, photographed 2,310 motorcycles that passed by and interviewed 505 riders.
This database of riders exposed to accident risk similar to the accident involved rider allowed a comparison of riders in crashes to those not involved in a crash. This large data collection effort led to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration"s 1981, leading to evidence of the usefulness of motorcycle helmets.
The was described by David L. Hough as "the most comprehensive motorcycle safety study of the 20th century."
In 2006, reflecting on the report, Hurt stated "The current problem is older riders, bigger bikes and alcohol."
Hurt remained at University of Southern California, researching and presiding over the nonprofit Head Protection Research Laboratory (HPRL), as well as a Professor Emeritus of Safety Science at University of Southern California. Upon his retirement from University of Southern California in 1998 HPRL was spun off as an independent non-profit corporation with Hurt as its president
Hurt died of a heart attack at Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center on November 29, 2009, at the age of 81.
Achievements
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Society of Automotive Engineers, Outstanding Presentation Award, 1977, for "Human Factors in Motorcycle Accidents" Motorcycle Industry Council, Key Award, 1989 Motorcyclist magazine, Motorcyclist of the Decade, 1989 National Association of State Motorcycle Safety Administrators, Chairpersons Award, 1997 Motorcycle Hall of Fame, 2007.
Views
Quotations: "The current problem is older riders, bigger bikes and alcohol.".
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Born
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Died
November 29, 2009 (aged 81) -
Nationality
United States
Awards
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Society of Automotive Engineers, Outstanding Presentation Award, 1977, for "Human Factors in Motorcycle Accidents" Motorcycle Industry Council, Key Award, 1989 Motorcyclist magazine, Motorcyclist of the Decade, 1989 National Association of State Motorcycle Safety Administrators, Chairpersons Award, 1997 Motorcycle Hall of Fame, 2007Society of Automotive Engineers, Outstanding Presentation Award, 1977, for "Human Factors in Motorcycle Accidents" Motorcycle Industry Council, Key Award, 1989 Motorcyclist magazine, Motorcyclist of the Decade, 1989 National Association of State Motorcycle Safety Administrators, Chairpersons Award, 1997 Motorcycle Hall of Fame, 2007