NHTSA 2020 Motorcyle Safety Facts

https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/Api/Public/ViewPublication/813306

Key Findings

■ In 2020 there were 5,579 motorcyclists killed, 14 percent of all traffic fatalities. This is the highest number of motorcyclists killed since FARS started in 1975.

■ The number of motorcyclist fatalities in 2020 increased by 11 percent from 2019, from 5,044 to 5,579.

■ An estimated 82,528 motorcyclists were injured in 2020, a 2-percent decrease from 83,814 motorcyclists injured in 2019.

■ Per vehicle miles traveled in 2020, motorcy- clist fatalities occurred nearly 28 times more frequently than passenger car occupant fatalities in traffic crashes.

■ Thirty-six percent of motorcycle riders involved in fatal crashes in 2020 were riding without valid motorcycle licenses.

■ In 2020 motorcycle riders involved in fatal crashes had higher percentages of alcohol impairment than drivers of any other motor vehicle type (27% for motorcycles, 23% for passenger cars, 19% for light trucks, and 3% for large trucks).

■ Forty-one percent of motorcycle riders who died in single-vehicle crashes in 2020 were alcohol-impaired.

■ Motorcycle riders killed in traffic crashes at night were three times more frequently alcohol-impaired than those killed during the day in 2020.

■ In States without universal helmet laws, 57 percent of motorcyclists killed in 2020 were not wearing helmets, as compared to 11 per- cent in States with universal helmet laws.

Good info, thanks for posting!

Surprising how much safer light trucks were compared to passenger cars.

Page 4, what is a “vehicle in transport”?

In Canada

Unfortunately Canada does not have comparable statistics but I would not be surprised if the situation was similar.

The Ontario Provincial Police have been actively signalling that motorcycle deaths are on the rise this year. Some excerpts of note...


In fact, a 28 per cent of those killed in the crashes were between the ages of 56 and 64 years old.

“There are people who have received their Class M license when they were 16-years-old and haven’t rode for 35 years, then get on a motorcycle,” explained Inspector Shawn Johnson, OPP West Region Traffic and Marine Manager.

Over 70 per cent of the collisions have been determined to be the fault of the motorcyclist.

The three most common factors contributing to the crashes this year have been loss of control, failure to yield and excessive speed.

Motorcycle fatalities have almost doubled compared to last year in southwestern Ontario, and account for more than half the road deaths in the province this year, police say.


https://london.ctvnews.ca/opp-repor...erious-and-fatal-motorcycle-crashes-1.6005456

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/london/motorcycle-deaths-safety-opp-1.6535286

Great Thread!

Excellent post Kevin. I just copied and pasted your post into the 110th Aviation Brigade Facebook page. Hopefully the right eyes will see it.

It would be interesting to see the correlation of alcohol impaired and the lack of a helmet.

When I got my license in 2016, the MSF coach was upfront without reading a long list of stats and his message really stuck with me.

1. Wear all of your gear
2. Wear a helmet
3. Don’t drive distracted
4. Don’t drink and ride

…and your chances of dying while operating your motorcycle will decrease significantly…not to zero but it’s very low. New Hampshire is a bike-week, helmet optional state where riders go out in July and august with jeans and a t-shirt and yes, a lot of people die. Some tragically too like picking up a person at a bar, the pillion doesn’t know to glue their body to the rider’s and leans opposite to a turn and the bike goes off the road into a rock face and of course, no helmets and both drinking. Completely avoidable loss of life.