Motorcycle death statistics: The situation isn’t getting better
You might be tempted to believe that new technological advances in motorcycle safety have contributed to a declining number of motorcycle-related fatalities in the last 10 years, but you’d be wrong. In fact, the number of motorcyclists on the road and the number deaths attributed to motorcycling has remained relatively stagnant since 2007. Death percentages have actually risen slightly.
In 2007, there were 7,138,476 registered motorcycles in the United States and 5,174 motorcycle-related deaths. For every 100 million miles traveled on motorcycles, an average of 24.18 deaths would have occurred. What does this mean for you, exactly? If you managed to log 4.1 million miles on your bike, statistically, you would probably be dead after being involved in a fatal accident.
Let’s fast-forward nine years to 2016, which is the latest year with statistics available. In 2016, there were 8,679,380 registered motorcycles in the United States and 5,286 motorcycle-related deaths happened that year. For every 100 million miles traveled on motorcycles in 2016, an average of 25.85 deaths would have occurred. This means that you only need to log 3.9 million miles to hit your likelihood of death on a motorcycle.
Riding a motorcycle isn’t becoming safer. In fact, it’s becoming incrementally more dangerous. Why? It’s probably because of smartphones and the prevalence of distracted driving. The most important thing that can save motorcyclists is more attentive drivers.
If your loved one died in a motorcycle crash, make sure you understand exactly how the accident happened. Don’t rule out the possibility that the driver who caused the collision may have been distracted. That could mean that the other driver is liable for the death of your loved one. To learn about your legal rights, speak to a motorcycle accident lawyer.