A motorcycle accident can be fatal for an individual, as the rider is less physically protected compared to a person who travels in a passenger car.
Issues like excessive speed, low visibility, driving distractions, wrong turning, and impaired riding are some of the elements that can lead to an accident. But what percentage of motorcycle riders have accidents?
Several minor crashes go unreported, so it’s impossible to have an exact national figure. But fatality data will show how serious the risk is. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 6,228 motorcyclists died in U.S. traffic crashes in 2024. This accounts for approximately 16% of all traffic fatalities.
Motorcyclists were nearly 27 times more likely to die in a crash per mile traveled than passenger car occupants, according to the agency. These statistics show the serious risks motorbike riders face.
Learning the common causes of crashes and possible injuries is important to avoid these accidents. Let’s take a closer look at the risks of motorcycle accidents.
Motorcycles are a tiny fraction of vehicles that travel on any given street. Total figures do not reflect the risk involved.
The mile-to-mile ratio speaks of the reality of the matter. In the case of the occupant of a vehicle, the protection offered by steel and safety gadgets like airbags is evident. In the case of a motorcycle, however, the only protection one has is reflexes.
The calculation of the number of motorcycle accidents that happen in a year may be harder compared to the number of deaths. Small accidents and slow falls may not be reported. As a result, they are unreliable figures.
Some of the common reasons behind motorcycle accidents include distraction, overspeeding, and impaired driving, among others.
None of the safety issues is supported by more conclusive evidence. A CDC report showed that helmets reduce the risk of death by about 42% and the risk of head injury by about 69%. According to NHTSA, the effectiveness of helmets in avoiding fatalities among riders and passengers is 37% and 41%, respectively.
Not all states have changed their legislation yet. As per the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, there are 17 states and the District of Columbia that mandate all motorcyclists to wear helmets, 30 states that mandate helmets for some riders (generally young ones), and 3 states without any helmet legislation at all. These states are Illinois, Iowa, and New Hampshire.
Practitioners in universal-law states see the difference up close. In Mooresville, North Carolina, William T. Corbett Jr. runs a solo practice at https://www.billcorbettlaw.com/ with more than 30 years of experience, and his personal injury work includes motorcycle accidents along with wrongful death and catastrophic injury cases. His office sits north of Charlotte, near Lake Norman.
North Carolina is an example of the stricter states on the spectrum. The Division of Motor Vehicles of North Carolina states that all motorcycle and moped riders and passengers must wear a helmet conforming to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 218.
The description of such a helmet by the Division includes a thick foam inner liner and a sticker of the Department of Transportation attached at the rear. Novelty helmets that skip those features don’t meet the standard.
Not every motorcycle crash involves another driver. According to NHTSA, 40 percent of the motorcycle drivers who died due to single-vehicle accidents in 2024 were alcohol impaired. This is when the rider loses control while driving a curve and hits a guardrail in the absence of any other vehicle or driver.
Similarly, licensing also depicts the same trend. As per NHTSA, 35 percent of the drivers operating motorbikes in fatal accidents were unlicensed to drive motorcycles.
It means that the rider who was not licensed to ride a motorcycle might not have taken the training class and hence lacks those skills that come with training classes, such as hard braking without locking wheels, swerving an obstacle, and selecting the right line of path through a curve.
There are many accidents caused by a person driving not having seen the bike at all. This isn’t something that a rider can control, but they can do things to give themselves a better chance.
Wearing bright clothing, keeping his lights on, riding where he won’t be in anyone’s blind spot, and assuming that every car at an intersection will turn left are some of them.
The risk of riding never drops to zero. It does respond to choices. A DOT-compliant helmet, a valid endorsement, a sober ride home, and a little extra space around every car on the road shift the numbers further than most riders expect.
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