Lee Marks was riding his Ducati at 80 miles an hour on an Ohio track last year when a mechanical problem caused the vehicle to slide.

He fell, going head first into the pavement. The collision broke his collar bone.

Two days later, Mr. Marks, 50, was back at work at his store, European Motorcycles of McCandless. Within two months, he had completely recovered.

"I didn't have a cut or an abrasion on me," he said, giving all the credit to his two-piece leather suit and a helmet.

At least six motorcycle riders in the Pittsburgh area suffered different fates this month.

Early yesterday, a Penn Hills man, Travis Little, 40 was killed in an accident near the Penn Hills Municipal Shopping Center on Frankstown Road. On Wednesday, Taylor Marshall, 69, of McHenry, Md., was killed on Route 281 in Somerset County when a car crossed the road and the two vehicles collided.

With record highs for gas prices, motorcycle ridership is growing at a brisk pace. Some riders cite the potential savings from motorcycles that can get an impressive 50 miles per gallon, while smaller scooters, like the Italian-made Vespa, can go up to 100 miles on a single $4 gallon of gas.

But are these new riders taking safety precautions?

Since 2003, the year Pennsylvania repealed helmet requirements for most riders, the number of registered motorcycles in the state has jumped 36 percent, from 265,054 to 360,287 in 2007, according to PennDOT figures. Statewide, crashes have gone up slightly less, with a 34 percent increase. But fatalities rose by 44 percent, from 156 to 225.

That mirrors a national trend. In 2007, traffic deaths in the United States reached their lowest level in more than a decade, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced last week. Motorcycle deaths, however, increased for the 10th straight year, jumping from 4,837 in 2006 to 5,154.

"You have people out there who don't have a clue what they're doing, and they probably shouldn't even be on a motorcycle," said Charles Umbenhauer, a Harrisburg lobbyist for ABATE (Alliance of Bikers Aimed Toward Education), of Pennsylvania.

His organization supported the change in the state's helmet law, which now requires riders to wear a helmet for only the first two years after they receive their license. If they complete a safety course, the helmet can come off sooner. Riders under 21 must always wear head gear.

A June report from the state's Legislative Budget and Finance Committee in Harrisburg noted the overall increase in motorcycle fatalities in the state. But it said the average annual fatality rate for four years after the 2003 repeal of the helmet law was 5.9 deaths per 10,000 registered motorcycles, almost the same rate as the three years before the law was changed.

Mr. Umbenhauer said the report shows that there are other factors behind fatal accidents.

Mary E. Peters, the U.S. secretary of transportation and a longtime Harley-Davidson rider, told the New York Times that the national crash data could "skew" because of changing riding patterns.

"We have seen the total motorcycle participation in vehicle miles traveled go up," she said.

Her agency has launched an advertising campaign to promote safer riding, and the federal government is teaming with motorcycle enthusiasts to fund a comprehensive study on accidents, according to Ed Moreland, vice president of government relations for the American Motorcyclist Association.

Oklahoma State University has agreed to conduct the study, which will cost from $5 million to $6 million, he said. This fall, the university will dispatch researchers across the country -- likely focusing on warmer southern states, which have longer riding seasons -- to start collecting data on hundreds of crashes as soon as they happen. The researchers will compile information such as the age and experience of the riders and the conditions of the roadways.

"It's going to be the first study of its kind in the U.S. in 30 years," Mr. Moreland said. The goal, he said, is "to try to prevent people from crashing into each other. It's not enough to simply mandate protective gear or equipment."

Meanwhile, Mr. Marks is still pushing all his customers to buy the gear, with prices ranging from $600 to $1,500 for a full set of safety products. In addition to helmets, he sells jackets and pants with lightweight armor in sensitive areas, such as the shoulders and elbows.

"It's a little bit more uncomfortable," he said. "But so is sitting in the hospital." Mr. Marks also encourages customers to participate in the state's free motorcycle safety program.

The program, started more than two decades ago, runs from March through October at 69 sites across the state, listed on the Internet www.pamsp.com. Information is also available at 1-800-845-9533.

A motorcycle learner's permit is required for the basic course, which lasts 15 hours over several days. Students who successfully complete the course receive a motorcycle license.

Thursday was exam day for the 11 students in Bernard Hauger's class in Lot A of the South Campus of the Community College of Allegheny County in West Mifflin.

Mr. Hauger, 55, with a bushy mustache, a tuft of graying hair tucked into his red baseball cap and more than 40 years of riding experience in his head, stood at the center of the parking lot.

He waved his arms as if he were conducting a motorcycle symphony. Eleven noisy bikes stopped, accelerated and turned figure 8's at his command.

"A little early on the roll off," he told Jennifer Wain, 39, of West Mifflin, as she came to a stop. "Where were you looking?"

"On the ground," she responded.

"Where are you supposed to be looking?" "Over there," she said, motioning forward.

New riders often feel an urge to focus their eyes on the road. That can cause them to lose balance, Mr. Hauger said.

Ms. Wain said she decided to take the class after her husband bought a Harley-Davidson.

"I got tired of riding on the back," she said. "I want to ride on my own." She also plans to ride her Harley to her job at the Allegheny County Jail to reduce gas and parking costs.

Of the 11 students in Mr. Hauger's class, eight raised their hands when asked how many had considered riding a motorcycle as a way to save money on fuel.

All said they'd wear helmets.

Sean Godfrey, a 22-year-old lance corporal in the U.S. Marine Corps, said he bruised his head when he fell from a dirt bike as a teenager. He said he doesn't want the same thing to happen while he's riding on pavement.

The safety program, which also has offerings for advanced riders, has seen a surge in participation this year, according to PennDOT. From January to June 2007, the program trained 7,915 students. Over the same time period this year, the number of students jumped to 9,416.

Mr. Hauger, of Greensburg, started teaching the class 15 years ago. (His full-time job is teaching English in the Hempfield Area School District.)

According to the Motorcycle Industry Council, 131,000 scooters were sold in the United States last year, up from 83,000 in 2003.

Even more common than sales of new bikes are repairs to aging motorcycles that bikers are trying to refurbish after years of disuse, said Steve Young, a salesman at Three Rivers Harley-Davidson in Glenshaw.

In some cases, he said, bikers' skills need an overhaul, too.

"We see bikes go by here that I know just came out of sheds two days ago. It's great for [the bikers], but now you have a lot more inexperienced riders out in the mix."

"One local policeman said they're seeing an assortment of bikes that really aren't road worthy and with riders who definitely aren't road worthy."