Motorcycle Related Injuries and Fatalities
The popularity of motorcycling has increased in the last few years with more than 1.1 million motorcycles sold in 2006, according to the Motorcycle Industry Council. The swell in ridership has resulted in an increase in motorcyclist deaths. From 1997’s historic low, to 2006, motorcycle fatalities rose 127 percent. In 2006, 4,810 motorcyclists were killed, up 5.1 percent from the 4,576 motorcyclist fatalities in 2005, marking the ninth consecutive year of higher motorcycle deaths. In addition, 88,000 motorcyclists were injured in traffic crashes in 2006. Motorcycle rider fatalities accounted for 11 percent of the total 2006 fatalities, 13 percent of all occupant fatalities and 4 percent of all occupants injured.
The number and rate of motorcyclist deaths on U.S. roads are rising dramatically.
Motorcycle rider fatalities rose 115 percent between 1997 and 2005. During the same time, fatality numbers and rates for passenger car crashes dropped.
Fatality rate trends for motorcycle occupants versus passenger car occupants. Between 1997 and 2005, fatality rates for motorcycle occupants rose 115 percent, to 42 fatalities per 100 million motorcycle VMT. During the same period, fatality rates for car occupants dropped steadily, to less than 1.2 fatalities per 100 million passenger car VMT.
Motorcycle Crash Facts
Motorcyclist Fatalities Increase
- Motorcycles are the most dangerous type of motor vehicle to drive. These vehicles are involved in fatal crashes at a rate of 35.0 per 100 million miles of travel, compared with a rate of 1.7 per 100 million miles of travel for passenger cars.
- Motorcyclists were 35 times more likely than passenger car occupants to die in a crash in 2006, per vehicle mile traveled, and 8 times more likely to be injured.
- Although motorcycles account for only 2% of vehicles on the road, they make up more than 10% of all crashes.
- Motorcycles accounted for nearly 3% of all registered motor vehicles and 0.4% of vehicle miles traveled in 2006.
- Motorcycle fatalities have more than doubled in 10 years to 4,810 in 2006. Helmets saved the lives of 1,658 motorcyclists in 2006—and could have saved an additional 752 lives if all riders had worn helmets compliant with federal safety standards.
- Some 104,000 motorcycles were involved in crashes in 2006, including property damage-only crashes.
- Approximately 80% of motorcycle crashes injure or kill a motorcycle rider, while only 20% of passenger car crashes injure or kill a driver or passenger in their vehicle.
- In 2006, 37% of all motorcyclists involved in fatal crashes were speeding, compared to 23% for passenger car drivers, 19% for light-truck drivers, and 8% for large-truck drivers.
Motorcycle Sales Increase
- The NADA Official Used Car Guide, which publishes used vehicle prices, reported that the number of people researching motorcycle purchases increased 48% in March 2008, compared to March 2007.
- Sales of all types of motorcycles reached about 1,158,000 in 2006, a level not seen in about 30 years.
Types of Crashes Involving Motorcycles
Because motorcycles are capable of high speeds but offer minimal occupant protection, they also are the most hazardous highway vehicles. They have the highest crash costs per person-mile (Miller et al. 1999).
Two-Vehicle Crashes Facts
- In 2006, 2,537 (51%) of all motorcycles involved in fatal crashes collided with another type of motor vehicle while in motion. In two-vehicle crashes, 79% of the motorcycles involved were impacted in the front. Only 5% were struck in the rear.
- 55% of all fatalities in motorcycle crashes in 2006 involved another vehicle in addition to the motorcycle in the crash.
- In 2006, there were 2,226 two-vehicle fatal crashes involving a motorcycle and another type of vehicle. In 40% (883) of these crashes, the other vehicle was turning left while the motorcycle was going straight, passing, or overtaking the vehicle. Both vehicles were going straight in 582 crashes (26%).
- 93% of all two-vehicle crashes involving a motorcycle and a passenger vehicle in which the motorcycle operator died, occurred on non-interstate roadways.
- In 2006, 51% of all two-vehicle crashes involving a motorcycle and a passenger vehicle in which the motorcycle operator died, were intersection crashes.
- In two-vehicle motorcycle crashes involving a motorcycle and another type of vehicle, in 40% of the crashes the other vehicle was turning left when the motorcycle was going straight, passing, or overtaking the vehicle.
Fixed Object Crash Fact
- Motorcycles are more likely to be involved in a fatal collision with a fixed object than are other vehicles. In 2006, 25% of the motorcycles involved in fatal crashes collided with fixed objects, compared to 18% for passenger cars, 12% for light trucks, and 3% for large trucks.
Type of Motorcycles Involved in Crashes
According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) riders of high-performance racing motorcycles, called “supersports” have driver death rates per 10,000 registered vehicles nearly four times higher than for drivers of other types of motorcycles. Supersports have more horsepower than conventional motorcycles and can reach speeds of up to 190 mph. They are built on racing platforms and are modified for street use. The bikes are popular with riders under the age of 30.
In 2005, these bikes registered 22.5 driver deaths per 10,000 registered vehicles, compared with 10.7 deaths for other sport models. Standards, cruisers and touring bikes, with upright handlebars, had rates of 5.7 and 6.5 per 10,000 vehicles. In 2005, supersports accounted for 9 percent of registrations, and standards and cruisers made up 51 percent of registrations.
Speeding and driver error were bigger factors in supersport and sport fatal crashes. Speed was cited in 57 percent of supersport riders’ fatal crashes in 2005 and in 46 percent for sport model riders. Speed was a factor in 27 of fatal crashes of riders of cruisers and standards, and for 22 percent of riders of touring models.
Number of Deaths for Every 10,000 Registered Motorcycles in 2005, by Type of Motorcycle
| Type of Motorcycle | Deaths per 10,000 Registered Motorcycles |
| Cruise | 5.7 |
| Touring | 6.5 |
| Sport | 10.7 |
| Supersport | 22.5 |
Crashworthiness of Motorcycles
Motorcycles are far less crashworthy than closed vehicles. They are also less visible to other drivers and pedestrians and less stable than four-wheel vehicles. Operating a motorcycle requires a different combination of physical and mental skills than those used in driving four-wheel vehicles. Motorcyclists and their passengers are more vulnerable to the hazards of weather, traffic and road conditions than drivers in closed vehicles.
Characteristics of Motorcycle Crashes
Age of Motorcycle Riders
Motorcycle riding has become more popular in recent years, appealing to a new group of enthusiasts consisting of older and more affluent riders. There has been a dramatic jump in the number of deaths among motorcycle riders age 40 and older in recent years. Older motorcycle riders, who account for an increasingly larger proportion of all motorcyclists, now account for about half of all motorcycle rider fatalities. Data show that in 2006, 47 percent of motorcycle riders killed in crashes were age 40 or over, compared with 30 percent ten years earlier. Crashes among the 50-plus age group have gone up 400 percent in the last decade.
In contrast, fatalities among young motorcycle riders have declined in the past 10 years, relative to other age groups. In 2006, fatalities in the under 30-year old group dropped to 32 percent, from 45 percent in 1996. Fatalities among motorcyclists in the 30- to 39-year old group fell to 21 percent in 2006, from 26 percent ten years earlier.
Gender
The latest Motorcycle Industry Council Owner Survey found that nearly 10 percent of motorcycle owners in America were women. And roughly one-third of the students in Motorcycle Safety Foundation RiderCoursessm are female.
Licensing
One out of four motorcycle operators (25%) who were involved in fatal crashes were riding without a valid license in 2006, compared with 13 percent of passenger vehicle drivers. Motorcycle operators were also 1.2 times more likely than passenger vehicle drivers to have a prior license suspension or revocation.
Driver Behaviors Contributing to Motorcycle Crashes
Alcohol Impaired Driving
Alcohol is a greater risk factor for fatal crashes involving motorcycles than other types of vehicles. One in 4 automobile driver fatalities in the United States were alcohol-related during 2005. In comparison, a higher proportion of motorcycle rider fatalities (1 in 3) were related to alcohol in the same year.
A Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report finds an increasing number of motorcyclists aged 40-44 are dying in alcohol-related crashes. According to the CDC, the rate of older adults who have died in alcohol-related motorcycle crashes increased from 1.2 per 100,000 population in 1983 to 1.9 in 2003. Previously, the highest rate of death among alcohol-impaired motorcycle drivers was among the 20-24 year age group. However, that age group has seen a decline in alcohol-related motorcycle crashes. The CDC attributes the shift to more adults in the 40-44 age group riding motorcycles. The increase in alcohol-related crashes may be a result of drivers drinking before riding a motorcycle or participating in weekend road trips that include drinking.
Motorcycle operators have high incidences of alcohol use. In 2006, 27 percent of motorcycle operators involved in fatal crashes had a blood-alcohol concentration (BAC) over 0.08 grams per deciliter (the national definition of drunk driving), compared with 23 percent of drivers of passenger cars, 24 percent of light truck drivers and 1 percent of large truck drivers in fatal crashes.
In 2006, 3.9 percent of the motorcycle operators involved in fatal crashes had at least one previous conviction for driving while intoxicated on their driver records, compared to 2.8 percent of passenger vehicle drivers.
Of all fatally injured motorcycle operators, 27 percent had BAC levels of 0.08 or higher in 2006. Fatally injured motorcycle operators between the ages of 35 to 39 had the highest percentage of BACs 0.08 and above (41 percent), compared with 39 percent for those ages 40 to 44. Of fatally injured motorcycle operators age 45-49, 34 percent had BACs 0.08 and above.
Speeding
In 2006, 37 percent of all motorcyclists involved in fatal crashes were speeding, compared with 23 percent for drivers of passenger cars, 19 percent for light truck drivers and 8 percent for large truck drivers.
Annual Motorcycle Crash Data to Download
Sources for Facts About Motorcycling
- Costs of Injuries Resulting fromMotorcycle Crashes:A Literature Review, NHTSA at www.nhtsa.gov/people/injury/pedbimot/motorcycle/Motorcycle_ HTML/index.html
- Insurance Institute for Highway Safety at www.iihs.org.
- Insurance Information Institute at www.iii.org.
- The Motorcycle Industry Council at www.mic.org.
- U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration at www.nhtsa.dot.gov/portal/site/nhtsa/menuitem.d7975d55e8abbe 089ca8e410dba046a0/