As you can imagine, dirt biking is not the safest sport out there. In recent years, accidents have been noticed and the consequences have had major repercussions within the whole community. This has had a huge impact on the motocross world of today.
At the starting line waiting to go, the only thing on your mind is being the first one off the line and around the corner. You’re not thinking about what’s going to happen when you crash but, in all reality, you’ll probably (at least) break something. There have been many motocross related accidents that have lead to death, both on and off the track. This has given the sport some bad publicity, people view it as dangerous and believe there should be no racing. The states not so much, but here in Canada the motocross industry has taken a big hit. When I was a little girl I could name 5 local tracks, there were 2 clubs and everyone you knew had a bike. Today, there are 2 tracks locally and 1 club for most of southern Ontario. There are other factors that have played a role in this change like cost and time. it will eat your paycheck and demand all your free time, but if you love it you are committed.
There is no question that motocross today is not what it was 20 years ago, and it might never be the same. There are many factorings affecting this trend, but I believe it is evident that safety concerns have had the largest impact on the community.