Fatality Facts 2020Motorcycles and ATVs

Overview

Motorcycles are less stable and less visible than cars and often have high performance capabilities. When motorcycles crash, their riders lack the protection of an enclosed vehicle, so they're more likely to be injured or killed. The federal government estimates that per mile traveled in 2019, the number of deaths on motorcycles was nearly 29 times the number in cars. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. (2021). Traffic safety facts, 2019: Motorcycles (Report No. DOT HS-813-112). U.S. Department of Transportation.

Because serious head injury is common among fatally injured motorcyclists, helmet use is important. Helmets are about 37 percent effective in preventing motorcycle deaths Deutermann, W. (2004). Motorcycle helmet effectiveness revisited (Report No. DOT HS-809-715). National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.and about 67 percent effective in preventing brain injuries. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. (2008). Traffic safety facts, laws: Motorcycle helmet use laws (Report No. DOT HS-810-887W). U.S. Department of Transportation.Yet only 18 states and the District of Columbia mandate helmet use by all riders.

All-terrain vehicles (ATVs) are not designed for on-highway use, but in recent years hundreds of riders died in crashes on public roads annually.

The following facts are based on analysis of data from the U.S. Department of Transportation's Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS).

Posted May 2022.

Age and sex

In the late 1970s the proportion of fatally injured motorcyclists who were 50 and older started to increase, rising from 3 percent of all rider deaths in 1975 to 14 percent in 1997 and 36 percent in 2020. In contrast, 26 percent of the fatally injured motorcyclists in 2020 were younger than 30, compared with 80 percent in 1975.

Percentage of motorcyclist deaths by age, 1975-2020

Motorcyclist deaths by age, 1975-2020
Year ≤29 years 30-39 years 40-49 years ≥50 years Total*
Number % Number % Number % Number % Number %
1975 2,538 80 428 13 129 4 81 3 3,180 100
1976 2,631 80 429 13 143 4 101 3 3,306 100
1977 3,279 80 537 13 149 4 129 3 4,099 100
1978 3,639 80 613 13 185 4 130 3 4,574 100
1979 3,732 76 747 15 233 5 173 4 4,892 100
1980 3,756 73 918 18 278 5 182 4 5,138 100
1981 3,594 73 850 17 262 5 181 4 4,896 100
1982 3,210 72 808 18 253 6 167 4 4,449 100
1983 3,074 72 776 18 239 6 165 4 4,260 100
1984 3,285 71 833 18 275 6 195 4 4,602 100
1985 3,265 72 861 19 247 5 184 4 4,562 100
1986 3,218 70 913 20 268 6 156 3 4,566 100
1987 2,727 68 853 21 286 7 168 4 4,034 100
1988 2,426 66 774 21 290 8 170 5 3,661 100
1989 1,927 61 760 24 288 9 157 5 3,135 100
1990 1,961 60 816 25 277 9 188 6 3,243 100
1991 1,629 58 728 26 296 11 151 5 2,805 100
1992 1,299 54 652 27 280 12 164 7 2,395 100
1993 1,267 52 665 27 335 14 176 7 2,445 100
1994 1,168 50 607 26 346 15 195 8 2,317 100
1995 1,103 50 576 26 359 16 188 8 2,226 100
1996 965 45 555 26 420 19 221 10 2,161 100
1997 860 41 556 26 405 19 294 14 2,116 100
1998 921 40 612 27 475 21 285 12 2,294 100
1999 898 36 612 25 570 23 403 16 2,483 100
2000 1,006 35 706 24 677 23 501 17 2,895 100
2001 1,134 35 798 25 729 23 532 17 3,195 100
2002 1,042 32 780 24 769 24 674 21 3,267 100
2003 1,179 32 837 23 903 24 789 21 3,710 100
2004 1,297 32 875 22 971 24 883 22 4,026 100
2005 1,441 31 975 21 1,027 22 1,131 25 4,575 100
2006 1,524 32 1,000 21 1,107 23 1,178 24 4,810 100
2007 1,581 31 1,043 20 1,173 23 1,372 27 5,174 100
2008 1,620 31 989 19 1,178 22 1,518 29 5,307 100
2009 1,186 27 851 19 1,016 23 1,411 32 4,467 100
2010 1,171 26 814 18 996 22 1,535 34 4,517 100
2011 1,228 27 827 18 944 20 1,630 35 4,630 100
2012 1,290 26 913 18 990 20 1,792 36 4,986 100
2013 1,281 27 817 17 953 20 1,640 35 4,691 100
2014 1,276 30 725 17 747 17 1,553 36 4,302 100
2015 1,477 29 855 17 884 18 1,808 36 5,026 100
2016 1,508 28 963 18 905 17 1,955 37 5,337 100
2017 1,481 28 964 18 892 17 1,889 36 5,229 100
2018 1,396 28 934 19 864 17 1,844 37 5,038 100
2019 1,388 28 962 19 816 16 1,876 37 5,044 100
2020 1,475 26 1,181 21 926 17 1,992 36 5,579 100

Ninety-two percent of motorcyclists killed in 2020 were males.

Motorcyclist deaths by age and sex, 2020
Age Male Female Total*
Number % Number % Number %
<16 30 91 3 9 33 100
16-19 118 91 11 8 130 100
20-24 568 94 38 6 606 100
25-29 662 94 44 6 706 100
30-34 631 91 58 8 690 100
35-39 450 92 40 8 491 100
40-44 395 90 42 10 437 100
45-49 428 88 60 12 489 100
50-54 452 89 54 11 506 100
55-59 487 92 42 8 529 100
60-69 634 92 57 8 692 100
≥70 253 95 11 4 265 100
Total* 5,112 92 460 8 5,579 100

Sixty-one percent of the female motorcyclists who died in crashes in 2020 were passengers, and their deaths represented 92 percent of the passenger deaths. The vast majority of male motorcyclists who died were drivers.

Motorcyclist deaths by person type and sex, 2020
Person type Male Female
Number % Number %
Driver 5,084 99 178 39
Passenger 26 1 282 61
Total* 5,112 100 460 100

Helmet use

In 2020, 61 percent of fatally injured motorcycle drivers were helmeted. Helmet use was lower, at 46 percent, for people killed as passengers on motorcycles.

Helmet use of fatally injured motorcycle drivers and passengers, 2020
Helmet No helmet Unknown Total
Number % Number % Number % Number %
Driver 3,166 61 1,937 37 165 3 5,268 100
Passenger 143 46 155 50 11 4 309 100
Total* 3,309 59 2,094 37 176 3 5,579 100

In 2020, 88 percent of fatally injured motorcyclists were helmeted in states with helmet laws that cover all riders, in contrast to only 32 percent in states with no helmet law. In states with helmet laws that cover only some riders, 41 percent of fatally injured motorcyclists were helmeted.

Helmet use of fatally injured motorcyclists by helmet law status, 2020
Helmet No helmet Unknown Total
Number % Number % Number % Number %
No law 77 32 160 66 5 2 242 100
Partial law 1,303 41 1,744 55 98 3 3,145 100
Universal law 1,929 88 190 9 73 4 2,192 100
Total 3,309 59 2,094 37 176 3 5,579 100

Motorcycle type and engine size

Engine sizes of motorcycles whose drivers were killed in crashes have gone up dramatically. Among motorcycle drivers killed in 2020, 34 percent drove motorcycles with engine sizes larger than 1,400 cc, compared with 9 percent in 2000 and less than 1 percent in 1990.

Percentage of motorcycle driver deaths by motorcycle engine size, 1985-2020

Motorcycle driver deaths by motorcycle engine size, 1985-2020
Year 0-1,000 cc 1,001-1,400 cc >1,400 cc Total*
Number % Number % Number % Number
1985 2,682 67 614 15 0 0 4,021
1986 2,822 70 625 16 0 0 4,019
1987 2,515 70 602 17 0 0 3,590
1988 2,219 68 617 19 6 <1 3,281
1989 1,879 68 539 19 3 <1 2,780
1990 1,937 67 620 21 5 <1 2,895
1991 1,672 67 556 22 13 1 2,496
1992 1,389 64 522 24 8 <1 2,172
1993 1,371 62 586 26 11 <1 2,212
1994 1,244 59 540 26 15 1 2,092
1995 1,215 60 568 28 22 1 2,020
1996 1,135 58 552 28 38 2 1,962
1997 1,079 56 618 32 33 2 1,937
1998 1,169 56 650 31 46 2 2,089
1999 1,099 48 644 28 99 4 2,286
2000 1,371 52 779 29 234 9 2,651
2001 1,553 53 781 26 309 10 2,953
2002 1,506 50 737 24 482 16 3,031
2003 1,641 48 830 24 614 18 3,423
2004 1,797 48 813 22 724 20 3,711
2005 2,092 49 932 22 865 20 4,253
2006 2,200 49 862 19 1,018 23 4,492
2007 2,425 50 917 19 1,120 23 4,853
2008 2,360 47 877 18 1,245 25 4,970
2009 1,847 44 736 18 1,144 27 4,163
2010 1,772 42 731 17 1,182 28 4,207
2011 1,980 46 755 17 1,183 27 4,341
2012 2,027 44 791 17 1,316 28 4,652
2013 1,951 47 692 17 1,276 31 4,126
2014 1,888 47 679 17 1,290 32 4,035
2015 2,065 47 727 16 1,384 31 4,415
2016 2,131 46 765 16 1,548 33 4,653
2017 2,178 45 730 15 1,595 33 4,885
2018 2,081 45 669 14 1,582 34 4,675
2019 2,164 46 672 14 1,615 34 4,733
2020 2,436 46 699 13 1,772 34 5,268

Among the motorcycles whose drivers were killed in 2020, 94 percent of touring bikes had engines larger than 1,400 cc, while virtually all supersport bikes had engine sizes of 1,000 cc or smaller.

Fatally injured motorcycle drivers by motorcycle type and engine size, 2020
0-1,000 cc 1,001-1,400 cc >1,400 cc Total *
Number % Number % Number % Number %
Cruiser/standard 453 28 431 26 760 46 1,644 100
Touring 3 <1 63 6 992 94 1,058 100
Sport-touring 17 36 30 64 0 0 47 100
Sport/unclad sport 465 78 119 20 9 2 593 100
Supersport 1,108 98 27 2 0 0 1,135 100
Off-road 97 100 0 0 0 0 97 100
Other/unknown 313 45 29 4 11 2 694 100
Total 2,456 47 699 13 1,772 34 5,268 100

Among fatally injured motorcycle drivers in 2020, 82 percent of cruiser or standard motorcycle drivers were 30 or older, as were 94 percent of touring bike drivers. In contrast, 49 percent of fatally injured supersport drivers in 2020 were younger than 30.

Fatally injured motorcycle drivers by age and motorcycle type, 2020
<30 years 30-39 years 40-49 years 50+ years Total *
Number % Number % Number % Number % Number %
Cruiser/standard 297 18 285 17 282 17 780 47 1,644 100
Touring 59 6 128 12 212 20 657 62 1,058 100
Sport-touring 3 6 12 26 6 13 26 55 47 100
Sport/unclad sport 251 42 174 29 82 14 85 14 593 100
Supersport 554 49 368 32 155 14 58 5 1,135 100
Off-road 60 62 24 25 7 7 6 6 97 100
Other/unknown 171 25 129 19 110 16 283 41 694 100
Total 1,395 26 1,120 21 854 16 1,895 36 5,268 100

At 80 percent, helmet use was highest among fatally injured drivers of supersport motorcycles in 2020, followed closely by sport/unclad sport at 77 percent and sport-touring at 64 percent. About half of fatally injured drivers of touring motorcycles and of cruisers or standard motorcycles were helmeted.

Helmet use of fatally injured motorcycle drivers by motorcycle type, 2020
Helmet No helmet Unknown Total
Number % Number % Number % Number %
Cruiser/standard 912 56 701 43 31 2 1,644 100
Touring 507 48 522 49 29 3 1,058 100
Sport-touring 30 64 13 28 4 8 47 100
Sport/unclad sport 457 77 121 20 15 3 593 100
Supersport 907 80 186 16 42 4 1,135 100
Off-road 32 32 60 62 5 5 97 100
Other 180 54 141 42 11 4 332 100
Unknown 141 39 193 53 28 8 362 100
Total 3,166 61 1,937 37 165 3 5,268 100

When and where they died

Sixty-one percent of motorcyclist deaths in 2020 occurred during May-September. Fatalities peaked in August and were lowest in January.

Motorcyclist deaths by month, 2020
Month Deaths %
January 159 3
February 207 4
March 318 6
April 361 6
May 553 10
June 676 12
July 728 13
August 756 14
September 685 12
October 551 10
November 373 7
December 212 4
Total 5,579 100

Fifty percent of motorcyclist deaths in 2020 occurred on weekends, and those deaths were more likely to occur after 6 p.m. compared with weekdays.

Motorcyclist deaths by time of day, 2020
Weekend (6 p.m. Friday - 6 a.m. Monday) Other times Total
Number % Number %
Midnight - 3 a.m. 278 10 151 6 429
3 a.m. - 6 a.m. 115 4 79 3 194
6 a.m. - 9 a.m. 66 3 166 6 232
9 a.m. - noon 205 7 221 8 426
Noon - 3 p.m. 418 14 478 17 896
3 p.m. - 6 p.m. 547 19 716 26 1,263
6 p.m. - 9 p.m. 676 24 547 21 1,223
9 p.m. - midnight 483 17 391 14 874
Total* 2,806 100 2,773 100 5,579

Fifty-two percent of motorcyclist deaths in 2020 occurred on major roads other than interstates and freeways. Deaths were more likely to occur in urban than rural areas (60 percent vs. 38 percent).

Motorcyclist deaths by location of crash, 2020
Road Type Urban Rural Total*
Number % Number % Number %
Interstates and freeways 524 9 106 2 630 11
Non-interstate major roads 1,986 36 904 16 2,890 52
Minor roads 822 15 1,092 20 1,914 34
Total* 3,354 60 2,127 38 5,579 100

Alcohol involvement

Twenty-seven percent of fatally injured motorcycle drivers in 2020 had a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) at or above 0.08 percent; in single-vehicle crashes this was 41 percent.

Estimated number and percent of fatally injured motorcycle drivers with high BACs by crash type, 2020
Crash type Deaths Estimated deaths with BACs ≥ 0.08 Estimated deaths with BACs ≥ 0.15
Number Number % Number %
Single-vehicle 2,112 861 41 553 26
Multiple-vehicle 3,156 575 18 306 10
All crashes 5,268 1,436 27 859 16

Forty-eight percent of motorcycle drivers killed at night (9 p.m. - 6 a.m.) in 2020 had BACs at or above 0.08 percent.

Estimated number and percent of fatally injured motorcycle drivers with high BACs by time of day, 2020
Time of day Deaths Estimated deaths with BACs ≥ 0.08 Estimated deaths with BACs ≥ 0.15
Number Number % Number %
Nighttime (9 p.m. - 6 a.m.) 1,405 672 48 422 30
Other times 3,863 764 20 438 11
Total 5,268 1,436 27 859 16

ATVs

Deaths of ATV riders on public roads have increased dramatically since 1982, the first year they were explicitly identified in FARS. The proportion of fatally injured ATV riders who were 40 and older increased from 9 percent in 1982 to 41 percent in 2020. The proportion younger than age 20 decreased from 54 percent in 1982 to 18 percent in 2020. These data focus on straddle-type ATVs, as opposed to side-by-side models that have increased in popularity recently. 

Deaths of ATV rider on public roads by age, 1982-2020
Year <13 years 13-19 years 20-29 years 30-39 years 40-49 years 50+ years Total*
Number % Number % Number % Number % Number % Number % Number %
1982 6 17 13 37 7 20 6 17 0 0 3 9 35 100
1983 2 5 18 43 12 29 5 12 2 5 3 7 42 100
1984 4 9 17 36 14 30 6 13 5 11 1 2 47 100
1985 9 20 20 43 12 26 1 2 1 2 3 7 46 100
1986 11 18 20 33 21 34 6 10 1 2 2 3 61 100
1987 12 16 18 24 23 31 10 14 6 8 5 7 74 100
1988 14 18 26 34 21 27 7 9 5 6 4 5 77 100
1989 13 14 39 41 21 22 10 11 6 6 6 6 95 100
1990 12 10 44 36 37 31 13 11 8 7 7 6 121 100
1991 10 8 34 29 42 36 18 15 6 5 8 7 118 100
1992 8 7 44 37 39 33 12 10 4 3 12 10 119 100
1993 11 11 42 41 23 23 20 20 2 2 4 4 102 100
1994 10 9 42 37 31 27 12 11 8 7 10 9 113 100
1995 9 9 34 33 32 31 12 12 4 4 11 11 102 100
1996 16 11 44 30 43 29 23 16 6 4 16 11 148 100
1997 10 8 47 36 33 25 18 14 5 4 17 13 130 100
1998 17 12 55 37 29 20 23 16 12 8 11 7 147 100
1999 13 8 60 35 46 27 26 15 11 6 17 10 173 100
2000 12 6 73 34 63 30 30 14 18 8 17 8 213 100
2001 19 8 69 31 51 23 46 21 19 8 20 9 224 100
2002 21 8 69 28 69 28 39 16 21 8 31 12 250 100
2003 22 7 83 28 73 24 49 16 43 14 31 10 301 100
2004 22 7 99 29 101 30 39 12 33 10 43 13 337 100
2005 29 9 87 26 89 26 46 14 40 12 46 14 337 100
2006 16 4 95 26 102 28 61 17 41 11 47 13 362 100
2007 17 5 79 21 116 32 60 16 60 16 36 10 368 100
2008 24 6 83 22 98 26 65 17 46 12 61 16 377 100
2009 16 5 70 21 81 24 54 16 61 18 53 16 335 100
2010 16 5 51 16 66 21 47 15 56 18 80 25 316 100
2011 10 3 47 15 74 24 54 18 54 18 66 22 305 100
2012 15 5 40 13 79 26 56 18 53 17 61 20 304 100
2013 14 4 48 15 73 23 61 19 48 15 76 24 320 100
2014 18 6 37 11 81 25 64 20 46 14 79 24 325 100
2015 19 6 42 13 73 22 53 16 50 15 97 29 334 100
2016 15 4 51 14 81 23 60 17 49 14 98 28 354 100
2017 14 5 51 17 70 23 44 15 36 12 88 29 303 100
2018 12 5 29 12 45 19 42 17 47 19 68 28 243 100
2019 8 3 34 13 48 19 44 17 33 13 87 34 254 100
2020 10 3 50 15 78 23 63 19 52 15 86 25 339 100

Two percent of fatally injured ATV riders wore helmets in 2020.

Helmet use among fatally injured ATV riders on public roads, 2020
No helmet Helmet Total
Number % Number % Number %
Driver 286 98 7 2 293 100
Passenger 44 100 0 0 44 100
Unknown 2 100 0 0 2 100
Total 332 98 7 2 339 100

Seventy-one percent of fatally injured ATV riders were killed in crashes involving no other vehicles in 2020, compared with 47 percent of passenger vehicle occupants killed in crashes and 40 percent of motorcyclists.

Crash deaths by number of involved vehicles and vehicle type, 2020
Crash type ATV riders Motorcyclists Passenger vehicle occupants
Number % Number % Number %
Single-vehicle 239 71 2,239 40 11,249 47
Multiple-vehicle 100 29 3,340 60 12,769 53
All crashes 339 100 5,579 100 24,018 100

Among ATV riders killed in single-vehicle crashes in 2020, 64 percent involved the ATV rolling over during the crash. This was comparable with SUVs, pickups, and large trucks, but higher than cars (42 percent).

Occupant deaths in single-vehicle crashes by rollover, 2020
Rollover No rollover Total
Number % Number % Number %
ATV 153 64 86 36 239 100
Car 2,388 42 3,248 58 5,636 100
SUV 1,713 58 1,236 42 2,949 100
Pickup 1,423 56 1,128 44 2,551 100
Large trucks 231 64 129 36 360 100

ATV rider deaths on public roads in 2020 were highest in July. Sixty percent of the deaths in 2020 occurred during May-September.

ATV rider deaths on public roads by month, 2020
Deaths %
January 10 3
February 15 4
March 23 7
April 25 7
May 47 14
June 28 8
July 58 17
August 29 9
September 42 12
October 17 5
November 27 8
December 18 5
Total 339 100

Seventy-three percent of ATV riders killed on public roads in 2020 were on rural roads. Of those, 88 percent were on minor roads.

ATV rider deaths by road type and land use, 2020
Road type Urban Rural Total*
Number % Number % Number %
Interstates and freeways 0 <1 1 0 1 0
Non-interstate major roads 23 7 23 7 46 14
Minor roads 53 16 218 64 271 80
Total* 81 24 247 73 339 100

In 2020, 38 percent of fatally injured ATV drivers on public roads had BACs at or above 0.08 percent. Impairment was highest at 52 percent among fatally injured ATV drivers ages 30-39.

Estimated number and percent of fatally injured ATV drivers with high BACs on public roads by age, 2020
Age Deaths Estimated deaths with BACs ≥ 0.08 Estimated deaths with BACs ≥ 0.15
Number Number % Number %
<20 48 5 11 1 1
20-29 65 26 41 15 23
30-39 56 29 52 20 35
40-49 44 19 42 15 33
50+ 80 31 39 24 30
Total 293 111 38 74 25