Motorcycle Accident & Injury Statistics

It is unanimously agreed that driving a motorcycle is much more dangerous than driving a car, truck or SUV.  Motorcycles simply do not provide the same level of protection that other vehicles provide. Where as a car, truck or SUV has a full metal frame, seat belts, airbags, etc., motorcycles leave their riders completely exposed.  The only form of protection motorcyclists have is their helmet and their riding gear, which as you can imagine is no match against hard asphalt or the impact of getting struck by a motor vehicle.

If you ride a motorcycle, whether as your everyday form of transportation or just for fun, it is important to exercise extreme caution at all times. The following are just some of the most recent motorcycle injury and accident statistics provided by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

• 5,290 motorcyclists were killed nationwide
• 96,000 motorcyclists were injured nationwide
• 133 motorcyclist were killed in Arizona alone
• The NHTSA estimates that wearing a helmet saved 1,829 motorcyclists' lives
• The NHTSA estimates that if all motorcyclists wore a helmet, 823 lives could have been saved
• Helmets are estimated to be 37% effective in preventing fatal injuries to motorcycle riders, and 41% effective for motorcycle passengers
• Per vehicle mile traveled, motorcyclists were approximately 37 times more likely to die in a traffic accident than a passenger in a car, and 9 times more likely to be injured
• Motorcyclists accounted for 14% of total traffic fatalities, 17% of all occupant fatalities, and 4% of all occupants injured
• Motorcycles are more likely to be involved in a fatal collision with a fixed object than any other type of vehicle
• 43% of motorcyclists who died in an accident had a BAC level of .08 percent or more