Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2019;20(6):641-647.
doi: 10.1080/15389588.2019.1628224. Epub 2019 Jul 8.

Trends and patterns in fatal US motorcycle crashes, 2000-2016

Urmimala Chaudhuri  1 , Kendra L Ratnapradipa  2   3 , Sijun Shen  2   3 , Thomas M Rice  4 , Gary A Smith  2   3   5 , Motao Zhu  2   3   5
Affiliations

Trends and patterns in fatal US motorcycle crashes, 2000-2016

Urmimala Chaudhuri et al. Traffic Inj Prev. 2019.

Abstract

Objective: To investigate trends of motorcyclist fatalities and identify at-risk populations by motorcyclist demographics and crash characteristics. Methods: We used the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) database (2000-2016) to track fatality rate trends, which were quantified by using Poisson mixed-effects regression models comparing 2000-2001 and 2007-2008, as well as 2009-2010 and 2015-2016. Results: The overall fatality rate per 100,000 population increased from 2000 to 2016, defined by two trend lines-before and after the economic recession in 2008-2009. The overall fatality rate ratio between 2000-2001 and 2007-2008 was 1.60 [95% Confidence Interval (CI): 1.51-1.70], and between 2009-2010 and 2015-2016 was 1.09 (95% CI: 1.02-1.18). Fatality rates increased among all age groups, particularly for motorcyclists aged 60 and older. Those aged 18-29 had the highest fatality rates overall. Age-and-sex standardized state fatality rates were consistently highest in Wyoming, South Dakota, and South Carolina and lowest in Massachusetts, New York and New Jersey. Conclusion: Motorcycle fatality rates increased overall and across all age groups between 2000 and 2016. Fatalities for the oldest riders showed the steadiest increasing trends. Results highlight the continued public health burden of motorcyclist fatalities and, by extension, the importance of improving motorcycle safety.

Keywords: Motorcycle; age; fatality; trends.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Annual motorcyclist fatality rates, US, 2000–2016.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Annual motorcyclist fatality rates by age group, US, 2000–2016.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Annual motorcyclist fatality rates by driver and crash factors, US, 2000–2016.
Figure 4.
Figure 4.
State age-and-sex-standardized motorcycle fatality rates per 100,000 population, 2000–2016.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Carter PM, Buckley L, Flannagan CA, et al. The impact of Michigan’s partial repeal of the universal motorcycle helmet law on helmet use, fatalities, and head injuries. Am J Public Health 2017;107(1):166–172. doi:10.2105/ajph.2016.303525 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Bridged-race population estimates - data files and documentation [tables] 2018. Available at https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nvss/bridged_race/data_documentation.htm. Accessed March 1, 2018.
    1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 10 leading causes of injury deaths by age group highlighting unintentional injury deaths, United States-2016 [table] 2016. Available at https://www.cdc.gov/injury/images/lc-charts/leading_causes_of_death_high.... Accessed September 18, 2018.
    1. Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). Highway Statistics Series Publications, 2000–2016. State motor-vehicle registrations. (Table MV-1 for each respective year) 2001–2017. Available at https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/policyinformation/statistics.cfm. Accessed July 2, 2018.
    1. Fitzpatrick D, O’Neill D. Older motorcyclists in Ireland. Ir Med J 2017;110(6):585. - PubMed

Publication types