Motorcycle Accident Statistics & Numbers For 2023

Forbes Advisor ^ | Updated: Apr 24, 2023, 9:43am | Christy Bieber, J.D.

[BraveMan]

-snip-

Key Motorcycle Accident Statistics

82,528 Motorcyclists Were Injured in 2020
In 2020, a total of 82,528 motorcycle riders sustained injuries. A total of 468 injuries occurred per 100 million vehicle miles traveled over the course of that year.2

More Than a Third of Motorcycle Accidents Involve Unlicensed Drivers
Motorcycle accidents often involve untrained drivers. An estimated 36% of fatal motorcycle accidents involve riders who do not have a valid license to drive a motorcycle.1

While state requirements vary with regards to licensure, all states do require a motorcycle endorsement as a supplement to a standard driver’s license.3

Motorcyclists are usually required to pass both written tests and driving tests on a motorcycle to earn this endorsement.

August Is the Most Dangerous Months for Motorcyclists
Motorcycle accident statistics show the risk of a crash is not uniform year round. In fact, August is the most dangerous month for motorcyclists, with 14% of all fatal motorcycle crashes occurring over this month. By contrast, just 3% of fatal motorcycle crashes happened in January–the safest month.4

Better weather in the summer months is the likely explanation for the fact these months present the highest risk of a deadly accident.

Few Motorcyclists Are Hurt in the Rain
Rainy weather is a deterrent for riding a motorcycle, which helps to explain why so few motorcycle collisions occur during precipitation. Just 2% of motorcycle accidents happen when it is raining outside.5

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[mund1011]

EVERY SOB, including your mother in a four wheeler is trying to kill you

+++++++++++++

100% correct. This defensive driving mindset has made me a much, much aware and therefore safer driver of every type of vehicle.

[Poser]

“C’mon, anybody who’s done an Iron Butt is qualified!”
I’ve done an Iron Butt but didn’t keep any records. Do I still qualify?

Stop light rule, especially in Florida: Stop with the bike in gear, the front wheel pointed in an open direction, and your eyes on your rear view mirror.

[BraveMan]

Freeper Hooligans rely/count on the Honor System.

[BraveMan]

YouTuber Agastay Chauhan Dies In Superbike Crash Attempting To Hit 186 MPH (300km/h)

[martin_fierro]

Send FReepmail if you want on/off FMH list
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[Fledermaus]

I pay attention and give them a wide berth.

It’s the dangerous riders I worry about. They weave through traffic, etc.

[Poser]

My first one was a 1965 Honda 305 Dream from Peterborough, New Hampshire to Charleston SC Naval Shipyard in 22.5 hours. I had to be there for duty on the USS Orion AS18.

[BraveMan]

I've ridden that bike. In High School, my riding buddy's father had one. I had a 1964 Yamaha 80cc YG-1 at the time.

That definitely qualifies as an Iron Butt ride! I am humbled and awestruck . . .

[TChad]

2) EVERY SOB, including your mother in a four wheeler is trying to kill you.

Good advice for bike riders, too.

Only the paranoid survive.

[zeugma]

When you ride, do so as if you're INVISIBLE.

I have seen people at intersections look right at me, then pull out.

[rottndog]

Thanks for posting this...whoever wrote it, it’s hard to argue hard numbers. Very important to stay informed though.

[rottndog]

The thing I find most discouraging is the increase in the number of Hit and Run accidents in the US. It seems more likely the other person will try to leave the scene, leaving you to die.

This happened to me...fortunately my injuries weren't life threatening, but I still have issues 14 years later.

[Sirius Lee]

I’ve never seen a BMW rider parked under a viaduct waiting out the rain storm .

They still have issues, but are much more reliable than Hardly Abelsons of a certain vintage. Wish I had never sold the R90. The R1100S is a PITA to work on.

What you never see by the side of the road is a Guzzi.

[Lee'sGhost]

Wrong! The way to fix it is to ban motorcycles and confiscate them from their owners. Anyone possessing a bike would them become a criminal.

I mean, THAT’s the gun analogy the left would go for.

[Poser]

Illegal alien drivers are large contributors to the slew of hit and runs where I live. They don’t have driver’s licenses or much money. Most drive awful s*** boxes.

[stevio]

It’s the cell phone users #1 and deer after that that keep me from riding anymore.

[rottndog]

Yep...I was hit by an illegal alien...no license, no insurance. The car was insured by the owner, however, who was not the driver. Luckily a bystander caught enough of the license plate to track it down. 15K from insurance company, lawyer got 5k for his work, so 10K for torn rotator cuff and torn ACL (still not fixed). Lawyer said it would have been at least a 200k lawsuit if there was actually any money to go after.

[Red Badger]

You would have seen me.

Of course MY BMW is a convertible with a top that won’t come up........................ 😜

[Red Badger]

I hate it when that happens!.........................

[BraveMan]

Not so much a comment on the bike’s reliability as on their riders willingness to press on, regardless of the weather. Beemer riders on average must spend a fortune on rain gear.

As far as certain vintages of Hardly Abelsons dead on the side of the road? One of my own has displayed that shameful characteristic TWICE. The first time was when a front wheel bearing locked up while pulling up to a stop light. (I guess I should have lubed them more often.) The second time, a Ground wire to the ignition coil snapped off at the connector (presumably from the vibration). An ‘82 Shovelhead, which I still have. Hot shame & embarrassment . . .

I purchased the four year extended warranty on my RA1250S. I hope it was money wasted,