Motorcycle safety statistics show a high-risk form of road travel in the United States: 6,335 motorcyclists died in traffic crashes in 2023, while an estimated 82,564 were injured. The figures below distinguish fatalities, estimated injuries, registration-based rates, travel exposure, roadside surveys and evidence summaries.
Key Motorcycle Safety Statistics
The most broadly useful figures are:
- In 2023, 6,335 motorcyclists were killed in U.S. traffic crashes.
- In 2023, an estimated 82,564 motorcyclists were injured in U.S. traffic crashes.
- In 2023, motorcyclists represented 15% of all U.S. traffic fatalities.
- From 2022 to 2023, motorcyclist fatalities increased 1.3% in the United States.
- In 2023, the motorcycle fatality rate was 31.39 per 100 million vehicle miles traveled in the United States.
- In 2023, the motorcyclist fatality rate was 66.89 per 100,000 registered motorcycles in the United States.
- In 2023, 9,516,910 motorcycles were registered in the United States.
- In 2023, motorcycles traveled an estimated 20,181 million vehicle miles in the United States.
- In 2023, DOT-compliant helmet use was 73.8% among observed U.S. motorcyclists.
- In 2023, 1,668 alcohol-impaired riders were involved in fatal U.S. traffic crashes.
- In 2023, 41% of riders who died in single-vehicle crashes were alcohol impaired.
- In 2023, 34% of riders in fatal U.S. motorcycle crashes had no valid motorcycle license.
- In 2023, motorcyclist fatalities among U.S. ages 15–20 reached 505.
- In states without universal helmet laws, 51% of motorcyclists killed in 2023 were not wearing helmets among cases with known helmet use.
- In states with universal helmet laws, 10% of motorcyclists killed in 2023 were not wearing helmets among cases with known helmet use.
- Research summarized by NHTSA estimates that helmets reduce motorcycle rider fatalities by 22%–42%.
- Research summarized by NHTSA estimates that helmets reduce brain injuries by 41%–69%.
Contents
- Motorcycle fatalities, injuries and traffic-fatality share
- Motorcycle fatality rates by registration and travel
- Motorcycle registrations, exposure and fatality trends
- Motorcycle helmet-use statistics
- Alcohol, licensing and age patterns
- Helmet effectiveness and crash outcomes
Motorcycle Fatalities, Injuries and Traffic-Fatality Share
The 2023 U.S. count from NHTSA’s FARS fatal-crash data was 6,335 motorcyclists killed. NHTSA also estimated 82,564 motorcyclist injuries, so the injury figure is not a complete census of every injury.
- Motorcyclists represented 15% of all U.S. traffic fatalities in 2023.
- Motorcyclist fatalities increased 1.3% from 2022 to 2023.
- Estimated motorcyclist injuries decreased 0.2%, from 82,690 in 2022 to 82,564 in 2023.
- In 2021, motorcyclists accounted for 14% of all U.S. motor-vehicle traffic fatalities.
Source: Motorcycles: 2023 Data (Traffic Safety Facts, DOT HS 813 732) and Motorcycle Safety Month: Help Prevent Motorcycle Deaths.
The 2021 exposure context was much smaller than the fatality share: motorcycles made up 3.5% of registered vehicles and 0.6% of U.S. vehicle miles traveled. Those are different denominators, so neither percentage should be read as a direct injury or fatality rate.
Motorcycle Fatality Rates by Registration and Travel
Registration-based and travel-based rates answer different questions. The first relates fatalities to registered motorcycles; the second relates them to estimated vehicle miles traveled.
| Period | Fatalities per 100,000 registered motorcycles | Fatalities per 100 million VMT |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 66.89 | 31.54 in the FARS trend table |
| 2022 | 68.05 | 26.30 |
| 2021 | 65.19 | — |
| 2020 | 67.33 | — |
| 2019 | 58.68 | — |
| 2018 | 58.18 | — |
The FARS Encyclopedia: Trends – Occupants reports the registration series and trend-table VMT values. NHTSA’s 2023 fact sheet gives a slightly different 2023 travel-based rate, 31.39 per 100 million VMT, because of source-table construction.
For the latest table value, the 2024 motorcyclist fatality rate was 28.00 per 100 million VMT. This is an observed table value paired with a VMT exposure estimate, and it should not be substituted for the registration-based rate.
In the 2023 fact sheet, the motorcycle rate of 31.39 per 100 million VMT was compared with 1.13 for passenger-car occupants. NHTSA described the motorcycle rate as almost 28 times the passenger-car occupant rate.
The series needs a classification caution: NHTSA notes a vehicle-classification change affecting comparability before and after 2020, and motorized bicycles were excluded from the motorcyclist category beginning in 2022.
Motorcycle Registrations, Exposure and Fatality Trends
The FARS trend table provides registrations, estimated travel and fatality counts for the recent U.S. series.
| Period | Registered motorcycles | Estimated motorcycle travel (million VMT) | Motorcyclist fatalities |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 9,516,910 | 20,181 | 6,335 |
| 2022 | 9,186,256 | 23,765 | 6,251 |
| 2021 | 9,424,769 | 19,642 | 6,144 |
| 2020 | — | — | 5,620 |
| 2019 | — | — | 5,044 |
| 2018 | — | — | 5,038 |
The table’s 2023 registration count was 9,516,910, compared with 9,186,256 in 2022 and 9,424,769 in 2021. The travel figures are estimates, not direct odometer counts: 20,181 million VMT in 2023, 23,765 million in 2022 and 19,642 million in 2021.
Fatality counts were 6,251 in 2022, 6,144 in 2021, 5,620 in 2020, 5,044 in 2019 and 5,038 in 2018. The pre-2020 and later vehicle classifications are not fully comparable, and motorized bicycles are excluded from 2022 onward.
Motorcycle Helmet-Use Statistics and Recent Changes
NHTSA’s 2023 helmet-use results came from a roadside observation survey of 945 motorcyclists; the 2022 survey observed 934. These percentages describe observed riders and are not a census of all rides.
| Observation measure | 2022 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|
| DOT-compliant helmet use, overall | 66.5% | 73.8% |
| Compliant use in light traffic | 35.5% | 66.0% |
| Noncompliant use in slow traffic | 16.9% | 7.7% |
| Noncompliant use in light traffic | — | 7.8% |
Source: Motorcycle Helmet Use in 2023 – Overall Results (Traffic Safety Facts Research Note, DOT HS 813 634).
The 2023 fact sheet presents overall compliant use as 74% when rounded to the nearest percentage point. The underlying observation estimate is 73.8%, so the two presentations describe the same survey result at different precision.
Alcohol, Licensing and Age Patterns in Motorcycle Fatalities
Alcohol involvement was recorded for 1,668 alcohol-impaired riders involved in fatal U.S. traffic crashes in 2023, compared with 1,772 in 2022. NHTSA described that change as nearly a 6% decline.
- In 2023, 41% of riders who died in single-vehicle crashes were alcohol impaired; this applies only to single-vehicle fatal crashes.
- Motorcyclist fatalities among ages 15–20 reached 505 in 2023, compared with 350 in 2022.
- Fatalities among ages 15–20 increased 44% from 2022 to 2023.
- In 2023, 34% of riders in fatal crashes had no valid motorcycle license; licensing status may be unknown in some cases.
Source: Motorcycle Safety Month: Help Prevent Motorcycle Deaths and Motorcycles: 2023 Data (Traffic Safety Facts, DOT HS 813 732).
Helmet status among fatally injured riders also differed by state helmet-law category in 2023. Among cases with known helmet use, 51% of motorcyclists killed in states without universal helmet laws were not wearing helmets, compared with 10% in states with universal helmet laws.
Helmet Effectiveness and Motorcycle Crash Outcomes
The NHTSA evidence summary describes ranges from multiple studies rather than one trial estimate. Research summarized in its 2023 guidance estimated that helmets reduce motorcycle rider fatalities by 22%–42% and brain injuries by 41%–69%.
The evidence base cited by NHTSA includes a 2008 Cochrane review covering 61 studies of motorcycle helmet effects. The study count describes the review’s evidence base, not a single measured outcome.
NHTSA’s 2021 guidance reported that 39% of fatally injured motorcyclists were not wearing a helmet. That is a different year and denominator from the 2023 state-law comparison, which excludes cases with unknown helmet use.
For additional context, NHTSA’s 2021 comparison reported 30.68 motorcyclist fatalities per 100 million VMT versus 1.22 passenger-car occupant fatalities. It described motorcyclists as nearly 24 times more likely to die per VMT than passenger-car occupants.
Source: Countermeasures That Work: Motorcycle Safety.