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Older Motorcycle Riders Driving Death Rate Higher

Sept. 1, 2004 – Older motorcycle riders are increasing rapidly and are driving the death rate upwards. Last year, 46 percent of motorcycle fatalities were riders 40 and over, an increase of 21 percent since 1993, according to statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Motorcycle fatalities rose by 348 to 3,592, an 11 percent increase. The mean age of motorcyclists’ fatalities has also increased from 29.3 years in 1990 to 36.3 years in 2001. The analysis also indicates a corresponding rise in the average age of motorcyclists killed and greater involvement of motorcycles with larger engines in fatal crashes. Two-thirds of the riders killed on 1,001-1,500 cc engine size were 40 and over years old.

Since 1980, motorcycle ownership among the 40 and over age group has increased significantly, from 15.1 percent in 1980 to 43.7 percent in 1998.

A recent analysis of age trends shows that over the past 10 years, fatalities in the 20 to 29 year old age group, the group with the highest annual number of motorcycle fatalities, decreased, while fatalities in the 40 and over age groups increased. During this time, however, there were more driving age individuals in the 40 and over age group in the United States.

Forty percent of fatally injured operators tested positive for alcohol, and 32 percent had a BAC of 0.08 or higher and alcohol use was highest among operators 40 to 49 years old, followed by those 30 to 39 years old.

The motorcycle community is experiencing astounding growth. New unit sales of on-highway motorcycles have increased approximately 91 percent since 1997. The Motorcycle Industry Council (MIC) expects motorcycle sales to continue to increase over the next 5 to 7 years – meaning more motorcycles on our Nation’s roadways. MIC estimates that 471,000 new on-highway motorcycles were sold in the United States in 2000 alone compared to 379,000 in 1999.

While motorcycle fatalities rose by 348 to 3,592, an 11 percent increase, passenger car fatalities declined by 778. SUV fatalities increased by 456, 55 percent of which were rollover crashes. This increase was partially accounted for by increases in SUV sales.

Motorcycle Riders in Fatal Crashes
Since 1997, motorcycle rider fatalities have increased each year, according to the recently released estimate from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA) 2003 Early Assessment. Over the past three years NHTSA's National Center for Statistics and Analysis (NCSA) has released several technical reports and research notes analyzing the increasing trend in motorcycle rider fatalities. This note is a compilation of various crash facts relating to motorcycle rider fatalities from 1997 to 2003. The fatal crash data are from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) and exposure data from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA).

Motorcycle rider fatalities, following a longer-term trend, declined each year from 1993 to 1997, reaching a historic low of 2,116 in 1997. Motorcycle rider fatalities increased each year between 1997 and 2003 with a total increase of 1,476 or 70 percent. According to early estimates, 43,220 people died in traffic crashes in 2003, a net change of 405 from 2002 (Table 1).

In the same period, motorcycle crash fatalities increased by 348. While other types of crashes have also contributed to the net increase in fatalities, motorcycles, which made up about 2 percent of all registered vehicles and 0.3 percent of all vehicle miles traveled (VMT), accounted for over 8 percent of the fatalities in 2003 compared to 5 per­cent in 1997, a significant increase as a component of the annual loss of life in traffic crashes.

The following facts present some of the findings from the various analyses completed by NCSA, which explain the characteristics and magnitude of the fatal motor­cycle crash problem.

Motorcycle Helmets

In 2003, fifty two percent of fatally injured motorcycle riders were unhelmeted.

Two-thirds of unhelmeted fatalities were in states without a universal helmet law.

NHTSA research shows that, in potentially fatal crashes, helmets have an overall effectiveness of 37 percent in preventing fatalities.

In 2002, helmets saved an estimated 1,005 lives.

At 100 percent use, an additional 579 lives could have been saved in 2002 alone.

Only 58 percent of motorcyclists were observed to be wearing helmets according to the 2002 National Occupant Protection Use Survey (NOPUS).

Rider Characteristics

The largest ten-year age group of rider fatalities is the 20 to 29 year olds.

However, 46 percent are age 40 or over, a group that has grown steadily from 21 percent in 1993.

Forty percent of fatally injured operators tested positive for alcohol, and 32 percent had a BAC of 0.08 or higher.

Alcohol use was highest among operators 40 to 49 years old, followed by those 30 to 39 years old.

Of operators 40 to 49 years old, 41 percent had a BAC of 0.08 or higher.

Of operators 30 to 39 years old, 39 percent had a BAC of 0.08 or higher.

Twenty-five percent of operators involved in fatal crashes had an invalid license.

Crash Characteristics

Almost half (about 46 percent) of fatal motorcycle crashes are single vehicle.

More fatalities occur on rural than urban roads, reversing a trend that existed from 1990 through 1997.

A majority of the crashes occur on undivided roadways (70 per­cent) and roadways with median and no barriers (20 percent).

Of fatal crashes that occur at night (6:00 PM to 6:00 AM) 58 percent involve alcohol compared to only 18 percent during the day.

Of weekend fatal crashes 45 percent are alcohol related compared with 32 percent of weekday crashes.

In single vehicle crashes, 52 per­cent are alcohol related compared with 28 percent of multi-vehicle crashes.

Larger motorcycles are figuring more prominently in fatal crashes. The percentage of fatally injured riders of motorcycles with engine displacements of 1,001 to 1,500 cc has risen from about 28 percent in 1993 to about 38 percent in 2002.

Mean engine size involved in a fatal crash has steadily increased from 820 cc in 1993 to 999 cc in 2002.

Table 1
Motorcycle Rider Fatalities and Trends in Summary Statistics

Fatality Rates

Fatality rates have increased in recent years (Table 2) which implies that rate of increase in fatalities has outpaced the rate of increase in motorcycle expo­sure (VMT and registered vehicles).

Fatalities per 100 million VMT are 33.96, up from 20.99 in 1997 (61 percent increase) and per 100,000 registered vehicles 64.82, up from 55.30 in 1997 (17 percent increase).

Compared with a passenger car occupant, a motorcycle rider is 26 times more likely to die in a crash, based on vehicle miles traveled.

Table 2
Motorcycle Rider Fatality Rates by Year