A motorcycle accident used to be a young man's way to the morgue. It was the teen rebel living fast and dying young, the Leader of the Pack roaring off to his doom.

That was another century. Now crash victims are increasingly likely to have gray hair and grandchildren.

While motorcycle fatalities among all riders have gone up in the past few years, deaths among those 40 and up have more than doubled. Riders in that age group now account for almost half of all fatalities.

Statistics released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration show the extent of the change: