Recent Motorcycle Accident Statistics
Motorcycle accident statistics 2013
The Center for Disease Control (CDC) released an article discussing recent years motorcycle accident statistics. The report indicates that a rise of motorcycle riders makes the rise of injury statistics a public safety concern.
- Between 2001 and 2008, more than 34,000 motorcyclists were killed and an estimated 1,222,000 persons were treated in a U.S. emergency department (ED) for a non-fatal motorcycle-related injury.
- The highest death and injury rates were among 20-24 year-olds, followed by 25-29 year-olds.
- More than half of all nonfatal injuries treated in EDs were to the leg/foot (30%) or head/neck (22%).
- Motorcyclist death rates increased 55% from 2001 to 2008 (1.12 per 100,000 persons in 2001 to 1.74 per 100,000 persons in 2008).
- The number of nonfatal motorcyclist injuries that were treated in EDs also increased, from nearly 120,000 injuries in 2001 to about 175,000 in 2008.
As a public safety issue, the CDC supports lawmakers on establishing stricter helmet laws nationwide. The CDC is also a strong advocate for motorcycle safety and helmet safety for all modes of transportation that require helmets.
Center for Disease Control suggests that motorcyclists always wear DOT-approved helmets along with protective clothing that is easily noticeable by other drivers. Along with these suggestions, CDC also reminds motorcycle riders of the basic safety measures:
- Do not drink and drive – and don’t let your friends do it either
- Avoid tailgating
- Maintain a safe speed at all times
Nationwide, 4,502 people were killed in 2010 from motorcycle-related accidents, which also lead to a total medical care and lost-productivity cost exceeding $12 billion in one year. The CDC estimates that wearing a helmet will decrease crash-related deaths by as much as 41%.
CDC also reported that California saved $394 million dollars of medical and lost-productivity costs as a result of its universal helmet law in 2010. Additionally – according to analysis of fatal crash data performed by CDC – only 12% of motorcyclists in the U.S. who were not wearing helmets came from an area with universal helmet laws. Sixty-four percent of these accidents were from states with partial helmet laws, and 79 percent were from states with no helmet laws in place.
