Written By : Terry Turner
Edited By : Kim Borwick
Motorcycle Accidents
Motorcyclists face more risks on the road than do people in passenger vehicles. Motorcycles have fewer safety features than cars, and their riders are more exposed to other vehicles and hazards on the road. Understanding these risks can help motorcyclists avoid serious crashes.
Front of motorcycle
Motorcycles made up just 3 percent of all registered vehicles in the United States in 2016 and accounted for less than 1 percent of all vehicle miles traveled in the country.
But per registered vehicles, the fatality rate for motorcyclists was six times the fatality rate for people in cars. And if you look at the fatality rate per vehicle miles traveled, motorcyclist fatalities happened nearly 28 times more often than fatalities involving people in cars.
Injuries from motorcycle crashes also happen more frequently than injuries from car crashes, and they tend to be more serious, too.
Motorcyclists Fatalities
Motorcyclist deaths accounted for about 14 percent of all traffic fatalities in 2016.
Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
A study published in 2017 in the Canadian Medical Association Journal looked at the number of severe injuries per 100,000 motorcycles and per 100,000 cars and found that severe injuries happened 10 times more often with motorcycles than with cars.
Top Risks for Motorcyclists
Colliding with other vehicles, speeding, drinking alcohol, not wearing a helmet and getting older all contribute to fatal motorcycle crashes in the United States, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Contributing Factors for Motorcycle Fatalities, 2016*
Collision with another vehicle 55%
40-and-older age group 54%
Failure to wear a helmet 41%
Speeding 33%
Alcohol 25%
Crash with a fixed object 23%*Fatal crashes may have more than one contributing factor
Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, February 2018
High Cost of Motorcycle Crashes
Injuries from motorcycle crashes are almost twice as costly to treat as injuries from car crashes, according to the 2017 study in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.
Researchers looked at the costs of crashes around Ontario, Canada. They found the average medical bill for a motorcyclist injured in a crash was $4,341 ($5,825 Canadian) compared to $2,232 ($2,995 Canadian) for a person injured in a car crash.
The researchers looked only at costs over the 30 days following a crash. The study did not take into account long-term treatment, including physical therapy or other rehabilitation. So the costs could be much higher.
The study also looked solely at crashes around Ontario. Medical expenses for motor vehicle crashes in the United States may be even higher.
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