Using data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, the law firm of Easton & Easton conducted a study to determine which states were most dangerous for motorcycle riders. In it, the states are ranked #1-50 for motorcycle riding risk.
The study revealed the two major causes of fatal motorcycle accidents—speeding (37.2 percent) and drunk riding (33.5 percent). If you don’t speed or drink, the chance of a rider having a fatal accident is cut by over 70 percent.
The study says June, July, and August have the most fatal motorcycle accidents—this is prime riding season, of course. Similarly, 45.8 percent of fatal accidents are on Saturday and Sunday, compared to 54 percent for the rest of the week. We would like to see these numbers as a per-mile-ridden statistic, as more miles are put on motorcycles on weekends and in the summer. Also, two in three fatal accidents are in urban areas, compared to one in three in rural areas. It’s also worth noting that, except for a spike in 2016, motorcycle injuries have been stable over the last 10 years.
The study methodology determines the credibility of the results, so here is how the E&E study determined a risk rating for each state.
- Percentage of Fatal Motorcycle Accidents. This number is the percentage of fatal motor vehicles that involve motorcycles. The higher the percentage, the more dangerous the state is rated for motorcycling. This number has a weight of 35 percent for the study.
- Rider Deaths per 10,000 Registered Motorcycles. The more deaths per motorcycle, the more dangerous the state is considered for motorcyclists. The result is also weighted for 35 percent of the final score for each state.
- Percentage of Drunk Drivers in Fatal Motorcycle Crashes. This compares the number of riders with a high Blood Alcohol Content to those who had not been drinking. It accounts for 10 percent of the score.
- Percentage of Speeding Drivers in Fatal Motorcycle Crashes. Also ranked at 10 percent, it compares the number of riders speeding when a fatal crash occurs to the number of riders riding at or below the speed limit.
- Percentage of Distracted Drivers in Fatal Motorcycle Crashes. This criterion compares distracted riders to those paying full attention when a fatal crash happens. This accounts for five percent of the score.
- Injury-only Motorcycle Crashes. This ratio of injury-only to fatal motorcycle crashes was used for five percent of the rating for each state.
Motorcycle Danger Ranked by State
Rated on a 0-100 scale, 100 being the worst possible
- Hawaii, 78.0 points
- Texas, 72.9
- Missouri, 67.0
- Arizona, 65.8
- Nevada, 63.8
- Colorado, 63.2
- South Carolina, 62.3
- Oregon, 61.9
- Arkansas, 60.4
- Delaware, 60.0
- Florida, 59.8
- Connecticut, 57.8
- Louisiana, 57.0
- New Mexico, 56.9
- New Hampshire, 55.8
- North Carolina, 54.9
- Washington, 54.4
- California, 53.5
- Wyoming, 53.2
- Oklahoma, 53.0
- Georgia, 52.9
- Pennsylvania, 52.4
- Rhode Island, 52.2
- North Dakota, 51.2
- Kentucky, 51.1
- Montana, 50.4
- New York, 49.9
- Michigan, 49.9
- Vermont, 49.1
- West Virginia, 49.0
- Maryland, 49.0
- New Jersey, 48.6
- Maine, 48.4
- Ohio, 47.8
- Kansas, 47.1
- Utah, 46.9
- Minnesota, 46.6
- Virginia, 45.8
- Mississippi, 45.6
- Tennessee, 44.7
- Indiana, 44.6
- Iowa, 43.9
- Illinois, 43.7
- Nebraska, 41.4
- Alabama, 40.8
- Massachusetts, 40.6
- Idaho, 36.1
- Wisconsin, 35.9
- South Dakota, 35.1
- Alaska, 30.9
Colorado had the highest percentage of crashes due to speeding, at 59 percent. Drunk riding was worst in Rhode Island, with over 61 percent of the fatal crashes involving riding under the influence. The highest rate of riders killed per 10,000 registered motorcycles is 14.56 in Texas, which compares to the lowest 2.38 rate in South Dakota. Hawaii has the highest rate of fatalities per crash at 29.7 percent; the lowest number is 7.74 in Mississippi.
Knowing the risk factors is a crucial part of motorcycle safety. We strongly recommend good decision-making for safe motorcycle riding.
