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Take a look at these statistics and the crash video below if you think riding without a motorcycle helmet is a good way to save money.
With the number of U.S. motorcyclist deaths jumping 78% to 5,154 in 2007 from 2,897 in 2000, a recent University of Southern California study points to the wearing a helmet as the major factor in surviving a motorcycle crash.
Below are additional statistics that explain why motorcycle insurance premiums continue to rise.
Motorcycle Fatality Statistics
Although motorcycles represent only 3% of all registered vehicles in the United States, motorcyclists accounted for 13% of total traffic fatalities in 2007.
Per registered vehicle, the fatality rate for both motorcycle operators and passengers is 5.5 times higher than that for passenger car occupants.
Per vehicle mile traveled, motorcyclists are about 35 times more likely to die in a car crash than people traveling in passenger cars.
These findings are among the most recent statistics released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
Deadly Motorcycle Crash Statistics
During 2007, 50% of all fatal motorcycle crashes involved collisions with another type of motor vehicle in transport. Of these two-vehicle crashes, 78% of motorcycles involved were struck from the front. Only 5% were struck from the rear.
In 25% of fatal motorcycle crashes, the motorcyclists crashed into a fixed object like a telephone pole or a concrete abutment.
Speeding was a factor in 36% of fatal motorcycle crashes during 2007. This compares with 24% for passenger cars, 19% for light trucks and 8% for large trucks.
Florida (530), California (495) and Texas (375) had the highest number of motorcycle fatalities in 2007.
Fewer Motorcyclists Wear Helmets
The NHTSA estimates that helmets saved 1,784 motorcyclists from death in 2007. If all motorcyclists had worn helmets, an additional 800 lives could have been saved.
Helmets are considered to be 37% effective in preventing fatal injuries to motorcyclists. This means for every 100 motorcyclists killed in crashes while not wearing a helmet, 37 of them could have been saved had all 100 worn helmets.
Sadly, use of motorcycle helmets in the U.S. has declined by 13 percentage points to 58% in 2007 from 71% in 2000.
Motorcycles have a higher fatality rate per unit of distance travelled when compared with automobiles. According to the NHTSA, in 2006 18.06 cars out of 100,000 ended up in fatal crashes. The rate for motorcycles is 55.82 per 100,000.[1] In 2004, figures from the UK Department for Transport indicated that motorcycles have 16 times the rate of serious injuries per 100 million vehicle kilometers compared to cars, and double the rate of bicycles.[2]
A national study by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATS) found that:
According to 2005 data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration NHTSA, 4,008 motorcycle occupants were killed on United States roads in 2004, an 8% increase from 2003.[4]
During that same period, drivers of automobiles showed a 10% increase in fatalities, and cyclists showed an 8% increase in fatalities. Pedestrians also showed a 10% increase in fatalities. A total of 37,304 automobile occupants were killed on U.S. roads in 2004.[5]
Additional data from the United States reveals that there are over four million motorcycles registered in the United States. Motorcycle fatalities represent approximately five percent of all highway fatalities each year, yet motorcycles represent just two percent of all registered vehicles in the United States. One of the main reasons motorcyclists are killed in crashes is because the motorcycle itself provides virtually no protection in a crash. For example, approximately 80 percent of reported motorcycle crashes result in injury or death; a comparable figure for automobiles is about 20 percent.[6]
Two major scientific research studies into the causes of motorcycle accidents have been conducted in North America and Europe: the Hurt Report and the MAIDS report.
The only major work done on this subject in the USA is the Hurt Report, published in 1981 with data collected in Los Angeles and the surrounding rural areas.[7] There have been longstanding calls for a new safety study in the US, and Congress has provided the seed money for such a project, but as yet the remainder of the funding has not all been pledged.[8]
The Hurt Report concluded with a list of 55 findings, as well as several major recommendations for law enforcement and legislation. Among these, 75%
