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To my knowledge, motorcycle riding is explicitly restricted in any of the warzones.
The article is making misleading comparisons. The amount of deaths in Iraq have absolutely nothing to do with the amount of motorcycle deaths stateside.
These reported motorcycle deaths are most likely while the Marine is not on duty. The article does not even say if the motorcycle deaths were because of collisions, breaking the speed limit, or anything. We have no idea if the majority of the accidents were because of getting hit by another car, or because of joy riding and going off the road. Or, if they were because of not wearing a helmet while riding and getting into an accident?
Rather than comparing to deaths in Iraq, the article should compare the number of motorcycle deaths involving military to motorcycle deaths involving civilians.
The military is doing what it can, mandating training, strongly encouraging further training and offering steep discounts to MSF classes to tune one's skills on a motorcycle. They require motorcycle riders to wear helmets and reflective gear on their bases (stateside and where motorcycles are permitted), and not following these rules leads to strict punishments.
Overall, like most anything, motorcycles are dangerous, and I think its the responsibility of the owner of such a vehicle to educate themselves about those possible dangers and how to avoid them as much as possible.
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In the Absence of Information People Make Things Up.
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