The headline figures, and the year each one belongs to
Most of the motorcycle statistics circulating online have no date attached, which makes them useless. A figure from 2019 and a figure from 2023 describe different worlds — deaths rose by more than a thousand between them. Everything below carries its year.
The primary source for American crash data is the Fatality Analysis Reporting System, which records every fatal traffic crash on a public road. NHTSA publishes the motorcycle extract as a fact sheet; the current one is Motorcycles: 2023 Data, published in July 2025. These are the top-line numbers from it.
- 6,335 motorcyclists were killed in 2023, up 1 percent from 6,251 in 2022.
- They accounted for 15 percent of all traffic deaths and 20 percent of all vehicle occupant deaths — from a vehicle class that is a small fraction of the fleet.
- Of those killed, 95 percent were riders (6,025) and 5 percent were passengers (310).
- An estimated 82,564 motorcyclists were injured in 2023, essentially flat on 2022.
- Per 100 million vehicle miles traveled, the motorcyclist fatality rate was 31.39 against 1.13 for passenger car occupants — almost 28 times higher.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, working from the same federal data a year later, counts 6,228 motorcyclist deaths in 2024 and puts the per-mile comparison at almost 27 times that of cars. The two numbers are not in conflict; they are consecutive years, and 2024 was slightly better than 2023.
Ten years of the trend
The single most useful thing in the federal fact sheet is the series, because it separates “more riders are dying” from “riding got more dangerous”. Both happened, but not at the same time.
| Year | Motorcyclists killed | Registered motorcycles | Deaths per 100 million miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 4,594 | 8,417,718 | 23.00 |
| 2015 | 5,029 | 8,600,936 | 25.65 |
| 2016 | 5,337 | 8,679,380 | 26.10 |
| 2017 | 5,226 | 8,664,108 | 25.94 |
| 2018 | 5,038 | 8,659,741 | 25.09 |
| 2019 | 5,044 | 8,596,314 | 25.62 |
| 2020 | 5,620 | 8,347,435 | 31.31 |
| 2021 | 6,144 | 9,424,769 | 31.28 |
| 2022 | 6,251 | 9,186,256 | 26.30 |
| 2023 | 6,335 | 9,516,910 | 31.39 |
Two things stand out. Deaths were broadly flat from 2015 to 2019 and then jumped in 2020, the year traffic volumes collapsed and the rate per mile rose by more than five points at once. And the registered fleet grew by roughly 1.1 million machines between 2019 and 2023, so part of the rise in the raw count is simply more motorcycles on the road — but only part, because the rate per mile also rose.
What was actually happening in those crashes
The fact sheet is more useful for the behavioral breakdown than for the totals, because that is where the differences between motorcyclists and other drivers show up.
Licensing. Thirty-four percent of motorcycle riders involved in fatal crashes in 2023 held no valid motorcycle license. Slightly more than one in three. It is the largest single anomaly in the dataset and the one least discussed. If you are riding without the endorsement, the fix is set out in how to get a motorcycle license and the state-by-state requirements in motorcycle license requirements.
Speeding. Thirty-six percent of motorcycle riders in fatal crashes in 2023 were speeding, against 22 percent of passenger car drivers, 15 percent of light-truck drivers and 7 percent of large-truck drivers. Among riders aged 21 to 24 the figure was 54 percent.
Alcohol. Twenty-six percent of motorcycle riders in fatal crashes were alcohol-impaired, at or above 0.08 g/dL — the highest of any vehicle type, ahead of passenger cars at 24 percent, light trucks at 20 percent and large trucks at 4 percent. In single-vehicle fatal crashes the figure was 41 percent. Riders killed at night were two and a half times more likely to be impaired than those killed during the day, 38 percent against 15 percent.
Those three overlap heavily with each other, and together they describe a large share of the fatal-crash population that is doing something other than ordinary riding.
Helmets in the fatality data
Based on known helmet use, 35 percent of the 6,335 motorcyclists killed in 2023 were not wearing one. Broken down by state law the gap is stark: in states without a universal helmet law, 51 percent of those killed were unhelmeted; in states with one, 10 percent.
Observed use in the general riding population tracks the same line. National use of DOT-compliant helmets was 73.8 percent in 2023, but 82.7 percent in states requiring all riders to wear one against 65.9 percent elsewhere. Among motorcyclists killed, reported use was 65 percent for riders and 51 percent for passengers — passengers are consistently the less protected group. IIHS records the same pattern in 2024, at 66 percent of fatally injured drivers and 47 percent of passengers.
Which rule applies where you ride is in which states require a helmet, and what makes a helmet compliant rather than decorative is in motorcycle helmet ratings explained.
Where and when the fatal crashes happened
For 2023, based on known values, the environment breaks down like this:
- 65 percent in urban areas, 35 percent rural.
- 63 percent away from an intersection, 37 percent at one.
- 97 percent in clear or cloudy weather — 2 percent in rain, 1 percent in snow, fog or other conditions.
- 56 percent in daylight, 39 percent in the dark, 4 percent at dusk, 1 percent at dawn.
- 92 percent on non-interstate roads, 8 percent on interstates.
Forty-seven percent of motorcyclist deaths in 2023 occurred at the weekend, defined as Friday 6 p.m. to Monday 5:59 a.m. The picture that emerges is not the one most riders carry in their heads: the typical fatal motorcycle crash happens on a dry, clear day, on an ordinary road, away from a junction, and not on the motorway.
Age and engine size
The average age of a motorcycle rider killed in a crash in 2023 was 41. The sharpest movement was at the young end: deaths among 15-to-20-year-olds rose 44 percent in a single year, from 350 in 2022 to 505 in 2023, with the weekend increase (62 percent) running at nearly twice the weekday one. Deaths in the 21-to-24 group rose 7 percent, from 572 to 611.
IIHS’s 2024 breakdown puts 33 percent of motorcyclist deaths under 30, 21 percent at 30 to 39, 15 percent at 40 to 49 and 31 percent at 50 and over — a distribution with weight at both ends rather than a single peak.
By engine displacement, of those killed in 2023:
| Engine size | Deaths | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 500 cc | 693 | 11% |
| 501–1,000 cc | 2,300 | 36% |
| 1,001–1,500 cc | 1,343 | 21% |
| 1,501 cc and above | 1,609 | 25% |
The middle-displacement band carries the largest share, and it is also the band that has grown: deaths on 501-to-1,000 cc machines rose 4 percent from 2022 to 2023 while every other band fell or was flat.
What these numbers do not tell you
Three limits are worth stating plainly, because most summaries ignore them.
First, a rate per mile is not a personal probability. It aggregates a population that includes the 34 percent riding without a license, the 36 percent speeding and the 26 percent impaired. Nothing in the federal data lets you subtract those groups and produce a number for a licensed, sober rider on a legal road speed — and anyone who quotes you one has made it up.
Second, the classification changed. From 2022, FARS stopped collecting motorised bicycles as motor vehicles, so their riders now appear as pedalcyclists. In 2021 those accounted for 43 fatalities, or 0.7 percent of the motorcyclist total. Comparisons that cross 2022 carry that discontinuity.
Third, injury figures are estimates and fatality figures are counts. The 6,335 is an actual tally from FARS; the 82,564 injured is a national estimate from a crash sample, and it carries a margin the fatality count does not.
For the question these numbers are usually asked in service of — whether riding is worth it — see are motorcycles dangerous, which works through the same data from the rider’s side. And for the two decisions the data most clearly rewards, start with the motorcycle safety course and the rules on what you cannot do on a permit if you are still on a permit.
Frequently asked questions
How many motorcyclists die each year in the US?
6,335 motorcyclists were killed in 2023, according to NHTSA’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System. IIHS counts 6,228 for 2024. Ten years earlier, in 2014, the figure was 4,594.
How much more dangerous is a motorcycle than a car?
Per 100 million vehicle miles traveled in 2023, the motorcyclist fatality rate was 31.39 against 1.13 for passenger car occupants — almost 28 times higher. IIHS puts the 2024 comparison at almost 27 times. Both figures describe a population average, not an individual’s risk.
What percentage of motorcycle riders in fatal crashes were unlicensed?
Thirty-four percent of motorcycle riders involved in fatal crashes in 2023 had no valid motorcycle license, according to NHTSA. It is the largest behavioral anomaly in the dataset.
What is the most common cause of motorcycle fatalities?
The federal data reports contributing factors rather than a single cause. In 2023, 36 percent of riders in fatal crashes were speeding, 26 percent were alcohol-impaired, and 34 percent were unlicensed — each far above the equivalent rate for passenger car drivers.
Where do most fatal motorcycle crashes happen?
In 2023, 65 percent were in urban areas, 63 percent away from an intersection, 92 percent on non-interstate roads and 97 percent in clear or cloudy weather. Fifty-six percent happened in daylight.
Are motorcycle deaths increasing?
The raw count rose from 4,594 in 2014 to 6,335 in 2023, though 2024 came in slightly lower at 6,228. Part of the rise reflects a registered fleet that grew by roughly 1.1 million machines between 2019 and 2023, but the fatality rate per mile also rose over the same period, from 25.62 in 2019 to 31.39 in 2023.