STURGIS - Sturgis motorcycle rally officials said Tuesday that both attendance and crime at this year's rally are down from previous years so far.

Meade County Sheriff Ron Merwin said there was a slight increase in accidents Monday night, but there was nothing inconsistent with previous years.

"Everything is pretty much the same as last year, if not down a little bit," he said. "It's been fairly quiet."

Sturgis Police Chief Jim Bush said crime in all categories is down so far this year, and the categories with the most instances are misdemeanor drug charges and parking violations.

"The past five or six years have been pretty consistent," he said. "I don't think this is going to be much different."

Sturgis Mayor Maury LaRue said there is no easy way to guess at the number of visitors this early in the rally.

"If the numbers were down, it would be hard for us to measure them," he said. "More people in other communities are taking advantage of the rally."

Following is a list of motorcycle accident in and around the Black Hills this week, as reported by the South Dakota Highway Patrol:

These accidents happened Monday, Aug. 6:

* At 11:21 a.m., a 2004 Harley-Davidson, ridden by Martin Deibert of Volga, was traveling north on Vanocker Canyon Road five miles south of Sturgis when the motorcycle left the roadway and hit a rock. Deibert and his passenger, Nance Deibert, were taken to Sturgis Regional Hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening. They were not wearing helmets.

* At 1:13 p.m., a 2003 Chevrolet Cavalier ridden by 16-year-old Angela Peterson of Piedmont failed to yield at the intersection of Sturgis Road and Elk Creek Road and collided with a 2004 Harley-Davidson motorcycle ridden by Susan Hart-Kulbaba of Lorette, Manitoba, according to the Highway Patrol. Hart-Kulbab was not wearing a helmet; her injuries were not life-threatening.

* At about 2:43 p.m., a 2001 Harley-Davidson, ridden by Carla McKay of Stanton, N.D., hit a guardrail on Rochford Road, about four miles north of Rochford. McKay was taken to Lead-Deadwood Regional Hospital, where she was treated for serious injuries. She was not wearing a helmet.

* At 6:30 p.m., a 2001 Yamaha, ridden by Mindaugus Keturakis of Hinsdale, Ill., collided with a 1987 Kawasaki, ridden by Gary Jones of Sutton, Neb., at the entrance to Bear Butte Campground on S.D. Highway 34. Keturakis was attempting to turn left into the campground when Jones passed on the left, and the two collided, the Highway Patrol report said. Keturakis was not wearing a helmet and was taken to Rapid City Regional Hospital with head injuries. Jones was wearing a helmet and was taken to Sturgis Regional Hospital with head and neck injuries. Charges are pending against Jones, according to the Highway Patrol.

* At 7:03 p.m., a 2000 Harley-Davidson, ridden by Theodore Ramos of Round Mountain, Nev., was traveling west on U.S. Highway 14A in Boulder Canyon, about two miles west of Sturgis, when Ramos lost control of the bike. Both he and the passenger, Rhoda Ramos, were ejected from the motorcycle. They were treated for injuries that were not life-threatening. They were not wearing helmets. Theodore Ramos was charged with driving under the influence, according to the Highway Patrol report.

* At 8:06 p.m., a Harley-Davidson motorcycle ridden by Perry Thiede of Cottage Grove, Ore., collided with a second Harley-Davidson ridden by Robert Siler of Enon, Ohio, at the intersection of S.D. Highway 79 and S.D. 34 east of Sturgis. Thiede was attempting a left turn in the intersection when the two collided. Thiede suffered minor injuries and was charged with failure to comply With a traffic-control device, according to the Highway Patrol. Siler was taken to Rapid City Regional Hospital with serious injuries. Niether driver was wearing a helmet.

* At 8:07 p.m., Jill M. Hart, 43, of Custer, was attempting to make a left-hand turn onto Beaver Lake Road from U.S. Highway 16 in a 1992 Chevrolet pickup when she was struck from behind by a 2006 Dodge pickup ridden by 41-year-old Robert Thomas Kopp of Custer, according to the Highway Patrol. Hart was airlifted to Rapid City Regional Hospital with serious injuries. Kopp suffered minor injuries. Kopp was charged with driving under the influence. Additional charges are pending, the Highway Patrol said. Both Hart and Kopp were wearing seat belts.

* At 8:15 p.m., Keith Papineau, 49, of LaGrande, Ore., was riding a 2007 Harley-Davidson motorcycle east on S.D. Highway 34 about 10 miles east of Sturgis when he lost control while going around a curve. The cycle entered the ditch and flipped over. Papineau was not wearing a helmet; his injuries were not life-threatening. Papineau was charged with second-offense driving under the influence, according to the Highway Patrol.

* At 8:45 p.m., Joseph P. Hannon, 50, of Schaumburg, Ill., was riding a 2003 Harley-Davidson motorcycle eastbound on Interstate-90 in Rapid City when he lost control of the motorcycle and it entered the median and flipped over. Hannon was wearing a helmet and received nonlife-threatening injuries. He was charged with driving under the influence, according to the Highway Patrol.

These accidents happened Sunday, Aug. 5:

* Traffic was re-routed for a short time on I-90 near Piedmont shortly before noon when two minor motorcycle crashes created traffic problems.

* At 8:05 p.m., a 2003 Harley-Davidson, ridden by Douglas Walker of Wichita Falls, Texas, was traveling south on Norris Peak Road, about two miles north of Johnson Siding, when he overbraked for a curve and lost control. Walker, who was wearing a helmet, suffered a serious head injury and was airlifted to Rapid City Regional Hospital.

* At about 8:10 p.m., a 2000 Harley-Davidson, ridden by Porter Hopkins of Kansas City, Mo., struck a deer while traveling south on U.S. Highway 385 near the intersection of Nemo Road. Both Hopkins and his passenger, Tracy Michener, also of Kansas City, were treated for serious injuries. Neither Hopkins nor Michener was wearing a helmet.

* At about 9:35 p.m., a 2007 Harley-Davidson, ridden by Richard Pegors of Sterling, N.D., struck a deer on S.D. Highway 34 on the east edge of Sturgis. Pegors was treated for head injuries. He was not wearing a helmet.

This accident happened Saturday, Aug. 4:

* At 3 p.m., William P. Stevens, 69, was traveling north on Vanocker Canyon Road when his 1990 Harley-Davidson left the roadway and struck a rock wall. Stevens was not wearing a helmet and suffered incapacitating injuries. Alchol was not a factor, the Highway Patrol said.