Motorcycle Deaths Across America
Where are motorcyclists dying on America’s roads, and how has the picture changed? Allen Law analyzed ten years of fatal crash data, from 2015 to 2024, to compare U.S. states, major cities, Florida counties and highways. See how your state or city compares, where death rates have changed, and which highways recorded the most motorcyclist deaths.
Key findings
Motorcycle deaths by state
All 50 states and D.C.
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How this is measured
Motorcycle deaths by city
The 50 most populous U.S. cities.
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How this is measured
Motorcycle deaths in Florida counties
All 67 Florida counties.
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How this is measured
Motorcycle deaths by highway
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How this is measured
Sharing the road safely
Look for motorcycles before turning or changing lanes
Drivers should check mirrors and blind spots and look carefully for approaching motorcycles before pulling out or turning across traffic. Riders should approach intersections cautiously and avoid assuming another driver has seen them.
Leave room to react
Give motorcycles space rather than crowding them or sharing their lane. Riders should also leave plenty of room ahead and keep their speed appropriate for traffic, visibility and road conditions.
Wear a properly fitted helmet on every ride
Riders and passengers should wear a securely fastened helmet that meets U.S. DOT safety standards. Protective clothing, gloves and over-the-ankle footwear add protection; reflective details can help other road users see you.
Plan a sober journey home
Do not ride or drive after drinking or taking impairing drugs. Check medication warnings too, and arrange another way home before setting off if you might be impaired.
Methodology
Allen Law compared U.S. road-fatality records from 2015–2024 across states, major cities, Florida counties and highways. The study examines motorcyclist deaths, their share of all road deaths, the share of fatal crashes involving motorcycles, population-based comparisons and selected recorded crash circumstances. Deaths are counted where crashes happened, not where people lived. These comparisons do not measure an individual rider’s risk.
Read the measure before comparing places
Shares, raw counts and population rates answer different questions. Each selected measure’s period, units and denominator appear beside its table. Circumstance categories can overlap and must not be added together. The completeness of status recording can differ between places; known-status shares describe records with the relevant status recorded, not necessarily all deaths. State/city circumstance tables use percentages; Florida county versions use counts. FARS fatal crashes are not FLHSMV all-crash or injury totals.
Geography, rounding and coverage
State tables cover 50 states and D.C.; city tables cover the 50 most populous incorporated places using 2024 Census estimates, not metro areas. Jacksonville, Nashville, Louisville and Indianapolis have consolidated city/county geography. County tables cover all 67 Florida counties. Published ranks and displayed precision are preserved, including ties. Identical rounded values can carry different ranks. Tables show the highest values first and retain published ranks.
Limits of the comparisons
Registration-based comparisons are excluded because registration practices differ across states and the Florida county August 2026 snapshot does not align with 2015–2024 deaths. Fatal-crash shares divide distinct motorcycle-involved fatal crashes by all fatal crashes in the same geography during 2015–2024. These are events, not people; a person killed need not be a motorcyclist. State and city dark-condition and operator general-driver-licence shares use their respective known-status death denominators, excluding unknowns. County darkness and general-driver-licence measures are raw death counts, not prevalence or exposure-adjusted risk. General driver-licence records do not identify motorcycle endorsements. Deaths can include passengers associated with the operator; these measures do not establish causation.
Technical definitions: who is counted
Allen Law analysed NHTSA FARS annual files for 2015–2024. Motorcyclist deaths include operators and passengers, identified by BODY_TYP 80–89, PER_TYP 1 or 2 and fatal injury code INJ_SEV 4. This includes motorcycles, scooters, mopeds and other motored cycles in those codes. Deaths are assigned to the crash location, not the person’s home.