Riding a motorcycle offers residents of Tennessee a sense of freedom and adventure. Unfortunately, riding a motorcycle is also more dangerous than driving a car. These are common motorcycle accident statistics.
Rate of fatalities from motorcycle accidents
Motorcycles are not as common on roads as regular passenger cars and other vehicles. They only encompass 3% of registered vehicles traveling on the roads. However, in 2020, out of all the vehicles on roads throughout the country, 14% of riders were killed. Passengers riding on motorcycles behind the rider who were killed made up 18% of fatalities that year. Passengers suffered injuries at a high rate that same year as well.
What are the biggest factors in motorcycle accident fatalities?
There are different factors that led to motorcycle accident deaths in recent years. In 2020, there were several that were more likely to result in a serious accident resulting in fatalities. Urban areas, in particular, were found to see more motorcycle accidents compared with rural areas at a rate of 61% to 39%.
Inclement weather is often a big factor in road accidents occurring. However, it didn’t play much of a role in the rate of motorcycle accidents that took place in 2020. Weather with clear or cloudy conditions ranked in the top spot for such accidents at 78%. Meanwhile, only 1.72% of motorcycle crashes occurred in rainy conditions that same year.
Accidents involving motorcycles were nearly split in terms of time of day in 2020. Around 51% happened in the daytime while 49% occurred at night. More motorcycle accidents also occurred when one other vehicle was involved at a rate of 52%.
Around 58% of motorcycle riders wore helmets when they were killed in accidents. Meanwhile, only 38% of motorcycle fatalities involved riders not wearing helmets.
The majority of motorcycle accidents that occurred in 2020 were not caused by drivers who were under the influence. Only 27% of fatal accidents were caused by DUI while 73% were not caused by a driver who was intoxicated.