Are Motorcycles Really That Dangerous?

Motorcycles are the primary choice of transportation for millions of Americans nationwide, and continue to grow in popularity and usage every year. In Florida alone there are over 620,000 licensed motorcyclists who ride everyday across the state. Motorcycles, and motorcycle safety, however, has been a huge concern for lawmakers and everyday vehicular commuters since they have been around, and there are statistics which rationalize this fear. 

 The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety begins their certification course for motorcyclists by clearly stating that “Riding a motorcycle is inherently more dangerous than driving a car”. A study by the Insurance Information Institute found in 2021 that 65 % of motorcyclists report wearing helmets, and that in 2020 there were over 83,000 motorcycle related injuries on the road. New York Police Department reports that Motorcyclists in highly populated cities with a lot of traffic, such as New York City or Miami, FL, are reported to crash nearly twice as much as those riding outside in less urban districts.

Driving a motorcycle requires a unique set of skills otherwise unnecessary in regular closed-vehicular travel. Motorcyclists must be keenly aware of all of their surroundings; traffic, speed, visibility, etc on a level far beyond what typical transportation requires. Motorcycles themselves are also especially susceptible to weather hazards, like rain and snow. Oftentimes, these elements, and the dangers they introduce, can be undermined which can unfortunately lead to accidents and even fatalities. 

Over the course of the past decade, motorcycle related deaths have increased 20% while death rates have increased 27%: in 2020 the National Highway Transportation and Safety Association tallied 5,579 country-wide motorcycle fatalities, and in 2021 the number increased to over 6,000. Most motorcycle accidents happen in the evening between 3-6 pm, when traffic rushes from people driving home from work are at their peak. 13 cars out of every 100,000 are involved in a fatal accident, but motorcycles have a fatality rate of 72 per 100,000.