Motorcycle Safety Guide: Overview

Deaths on the Rise

Motorcycle-related deaths have increased by 55% since 2000.1

Motorcycle crashes killed 4,502 people in 2010.2

Preventing debilitating injuries and deaths from motorcycle crashes is a growing public health concern.

The Cost

The cost of motorcycle crashes is not just measured in bodies, loss, and grief. Motorcycle crashes create a burden to society, consuming public funds for emergency response, emergency room costs, and insurance premiums.3 In terms of medical care costs and productivity losses…

The economic burden from crash-related injuries and deaths in one year alone totaled $12 billion.4

Prevention that Works

With motorcycle ownership at an all-time high, motorcycle-related deaths and traumatic brain injuries are expected to remain at high levels unless more effective protective measures are enacted. Helmets are the only safety measure proven to save lives, and the universal helmet law (one that covers all motorcycle riders) is demonstrated to be the best way to ensure helmet use.5

References

References are located on the Endnotes page.