Yes. According to the federal government, per mile traveled in 2006, the number of deaths on motorcycles was about 35 times the number in cars.¹ Motorcycles are less stable than cars during emergency braking situations and are less visible on the road. Some motorcycles have high performance capabilities that can encourage riders to speed, accelerate quickly, or engage in other risky driving maneuvers. When motorcyclists crash, they lack the protection of an enclosed vehicle so they're more likely to be injured or killed.

Crashes involving a motorcycle and at least one other vehicle accounted for 56 percent of all motorcycle fatal crashes in 2006. In 2-vehicle fatal crashes, 79 percent of the motorcycles involved were struck in the front and only 5 percent were hit in the rear. Forty percent of the two-vehicle crashes involved a vehicle turning left while the motorcycle was going straight, passing, or overtaking the vehicle. Crashing into a fixed object is a bigger problem on a motorcycle than it is for other motor vehicles. In 2006, 25 percent of motorcycles involved in fatal crashes collided with fixed objects, compared with 18 percent of cars in fatal crashes.¹

No. Nearly half of all motorcycle driver deaths involve just the motorcycle and no other vehicle. This proportion has remained largely unchanged over time. Speeding and alcohol use contribute to many of these fatal single-vehicle crashes. In 2006, 49 percent of the 2,037 motorcycle drivers in single-vehicle fatal crashes were speeding. Forty-one percent of motorcycle drivers killed in single-vehicle crashes in 2006 had blood alcohol concentrations (BAC) of 0.08 percent or higher. In an Institute-sponsored study of fatal motorcycle crashes, the majority of fatal multiple-vehicle crashes were head-on, involved one vehicle running a traffic control, or involved one vehicle turning left in front of the other.² In head-on crashes, the driver of the other vehicle, not the motorcyclist, more often ran the traffic signal or turned left in front of the motorcycle. However, motorcycles were more often speeding or not in the proper lane.

Yes. Fatalities among motorcycle drivers and passengers in 2006 more than doubled since 1997. They reached 4,697 in 2006, accounting for 11 percent of total highway crash deaths. In 2006 motorcyclist deaths exceeded the number of pedestrian fatalities for the first time since the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) began collecting fatal motor vehicle crash data in 1975.

Yes. More than 1.1 million motorcycles were sold in 2006, according to the Motorcycle Industry Council, a nonprofit trade group based in Irvine, California. The record was 1973, when Americans bought more than 1.5 million bikes. Sales cooled in the 1980s before starting to climb again in 1993. The council says the latest surge is partly because bikes have become more specialized and stylish. More than 300 models appeal to a broader range of potential riders. Sales are especially strong among baby boomers, who are taking up cycling as a hobby or returning to riding after breaks to raise families, industry representatives say. Higher fuel cost is another reason.³

Yes. The typical motorcycle owner in 2003 was 42 years old, according to the Motorcycle Industry Council's latest available Motorcycle/ATV Owner Survey. That was up from 1998, when the typical owner was 38, and a leap from the typical 24-year-old owner in the 1980s.³ As a result, the average age of fatally injured motorcycle drivers climbed to 39 in 2006 from 37 in 2000 and 30 in 1990.

Nearly 10 percent of owners in 2003 were women, up from 6 percent in 1990.³ Only 3 percent of motorcycle drivers killed in 2006 crashes were women, while 87 percent of passengers who died were women.

Street-legal motorcycles can be grouped into nine different classes: cruiser, standard, chopper, dual purpose, supersport, sport, unclad sport, touring, and scooter. Most motorcycles are designed with the same fundamental components — chassis with two wheels, engine, handlebars, and open riding position. Motorcycles are classified according to riding ergonomics, riding position, body style, design features, usability, and driving dynamics. Cruisers and standards form the largest class of bikes. They accounted for almost half of registrations in 2005.⁴

CRUISERS are the largest class of bikes. Riders typically are about 45, according to insurance data from the Highway Loss Data Institute. Cruisers mimic the style of American motorcycles from the 1930s to 1960s, such as Harley-Davidsons and Indians.	STANDARDS have basic designs and upright riding positions, with low power-to-weight ratios that result in a user-friendly motorcycle. Their average driver is 39.	SUPERSPORTS are consumer versions of racing motorcycles. Reduced weight and increased power allow for quick acceleration, nimble handling, and high speeds. The average driver is about 33 years old.	SPORT motorcycles are closely related to supersports. Sport bikes are capable of high speeds but don't have the acceleration, stability, and handling of supersports. The average age of a sport bike driver is 39.
UNCLAD SPORT motorcycles are similar to sport bikes and supersports in design and performance but without plastic body fairings. The average rider is about 38.	TOURING motorcycles have big engines and fuel tanks plus room to haul luggage. They're often outfitted with antilock brakes, audio systems, and cruise control. These motorcycles are popular among riders in their mid-40s.	SCOOTERS have small wheels, automatic transmissions, and small engines, but larger scooters are becoming more popular. The average age of a scooter driver is 48.

The average engine size in all classes of motorcycles involved in fatal crashes has risen sharply. Among motorcycle drivers killed in 2006, 33 percent drove motorcycles with engine sizes larger than 1,200 cubic centimeters, compared with 26 percent in 2000 and 17 percent in 1997.

Death rates by motorcyclist age aren't available because we don't have age-specific data on registrations or on miles traveled. Looking at motorcycle type, we know that drivers of cruisers, standards, and touring motorcycles have the lowest death rates. These motorcycles, which together form the largest class of registered motorcycles on the road, are most often driven by people age 40 and older, according to data from the Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI).

Primary contributors to the worsening motorcycle crash death problem are motorcyclists who drive supersport motorcycles, which make up a small fraction of registered motorcycles but are overrepresented in fatal crashes. A combination of light weight and high-horsepower engines means many of these motorcycles can reach speeds of nearly 190 miles per hour. Motorcyclists who ride supersports tend to be younger than 30, with a driver death rate per 10,000 registered motorcycles about 4 times higher than the rate for motorcyclists who ride cruisers and standards or touring bikes.

Motorcyclists who rode supersports had driver death rates per 10,000 registered motorcycles in 2005 about 4 times higher than rates for motorcyclists on cruiser and standard bikes, the largest class of registered motorcycles. Sport and unclad sport bikes, which are similar to supersports, had the next highest driver death rates, at nearly twice the death rates for cruisers and standards. Touring motorcycles had a death rate per 10,000 registered motorcycles of 6.5, compared with 5.7 for cruiser and standard motorcycles in 2005.

See Status Report special issue on motorcycles

Supersport motorcycles are built on racing platforms but modified for the highway and sold to consumers. They're especially popular with riders younger than 30. Supersports typically have more horsepower per pound than other types of vehicles on the road. A 2006 model Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R, for example, produces 111 horsepower from a 636 cubic centimeter engine and weighs 404 pounds. In contrast, the 2006 model Harley-Davidson Ultra Classic Electra Glide, a touring bike, produces 65 horsepower from a 1,450 cubic centimeter engine and weighs 788 pounds. In the sport bike class, a 2006 Suzuki Katana 750 produces 92 horsepower from a 750 cubic centimeter engine and weighs 465 pounds. Among unclad sports, the 2006 Suzuki SV650 produces 70 horsepower from a 645 cubic centimeter engine and weighs 363 pounds.

Sport and unclad sport motorcycles have more upright riding positions than supersports, with more leg room between the seat and foot pegs. They generally have lower power-to-weight ratios than supersports and also can be equipped with a rear trunk and the capability of carrying side bags. Unclad sport motorcycles are derivatives of sport/supersport motorcycles in design and performance but they don't have the full body panels, fairing coverings, or windscreens typically found on sport and supersport bikes.

Yes. Different types of motorcycles tend to attract riders in different age groups. Riders of supersport, sport, and unclad sport bikes tend to be younger than riders who chose standard, cruiser, and touring motorcycles. Among fatally injured motorcycle drivers in 2006, supersport riders were the youngest, with an average age of 28. Touring motorcycle riders were the oldest at 51. Sport and unclad sport bikes drew younger riders, too, with 32 being the average age of fatally injured drivers.

For each class of motorcycles, fatally injured riders shared similar characteristics across all age groups. Speeding and driver error were bigger factors in fatal crashes of supersport and sport and unclad sport bikes compared with other classes of motorcycles. Speeding was indicated in 61 percent of supersport riders' fatal crashes in 2006 and 55 percent of the fatal crashes of sport and unclad sport riders. Speeding was a factor in 27 percent of fatal crashes among riders of cruisers and standards and 21 percent on touring motorcycles. Sport and supersport riders were more likely to have been wearing helmets than other motorcyclists. Seventy-one percent of supersport riders who died in crashes in 2006 wore helmets, compared with 51 percent of cruiser/standard riders.

Alcohol is a factor in many fatal crashes of motorcyclists, although less so than it is with passenger vehicle drivers. Twenty-seven percent of fatally injured motorcycle drivers in 2006 had BACs at or above 0.08 percent. By comparison, 33 percent of fatally injured passenger vehicle drivers had BACs at or above 0.08 percent in 2006. Alcohol is a bigger problem in single-vehicle crashes of motorcyclists. Forty-one percent of fatally injured motorcycle drivers involved in single-vehicle crashes in 2006 had BACs at or above the legal threshold for impairment, versus 48 percent for fatally injured passenger vehicle drivers.

Alcohol was a factor in the fatal crashes of 20 percent of fatally injured supersport drivers and 22 percent of fatally injured sport and unclad sport riders in 2006. Impairment was a bigger factor in the fatal crashes of cruisers, standard bikes, and touring motorcycles, particularly among riders 30-49 years old. Thirty-three percent of fatally injured cruiser and standard riders and 26 percent of touring motorcycle riders had BACs above the legal limit.

A recent study by NHTSA carefully measured rider performance under different BACs on a closed course. It found that BAC levels as low as 0.05 percent significantly increased riders' reaction times and likelihoods of lane departure, as compared with zero BAC.⁵

Supersport motorcycles had the highest overall collision coverage losses among 2002-06 model bikes, almost 4 times higher than losses for touring motorcycles and more than 6 times higher than cruisers, according to data from the HLDI. Nine of the 10 motorcycles with the highest losses were supersports. Five of the 10 motorcycles with the highest overall losses had engine displacements of 1,000 cubic centimeters or larger.

Supersport motorcycles also are the most frequently stolen. Their overall theft losses, measured as average loss payments per insured vehicle year (a vehicle year is 1 vehicle insured for 1 year, 2 insured for 6 months, etc.), averaged $246 for 2002-06 models. This is more than 7 times higher than the average for all motorcycles. Sport class motorcycles had the next highest overall theft losses at $55. In the other motorcycle classes, theft losses ranged from $13 to $18 per insured vehicle year.

Touring motorcycles had the most expensive claims for both collision coverage and theft. These heavy, powerful bikes aren't involved in fatal collisions in relation to their numbers on the road as often as supersports, but when touring bikes crash their insurance costs are high since they're pricier. These bikes aren't stolen nearly as often as supersports, but their expensive features (like cruise control and sound systems), make them costly to replace. Touring motorcycles had the highest average loss payment per insurance claim for theft at $15,696 among 2002-06 models.

Motorcycles don't have much safety gear that's comparable to what's found in passenger vehicles. Electronic stability control, for instance, isn't designed for two-wheel vehicles. The technology helps prevent some types of crashes among cars and SUVs. Daytime running lights make motorcycles more visible to other drivers. Advanced brake systems, such as antilocks and combined braking systems, can shorten stopping distance and improve stability in hard braking situations.⁶ Some manufacturers are exploring ways to adapt other safety advances to motorcycles. Airbags are one such feature. A frontal airbag is optional on new models of Honda's Gold Wing touring motorcycle. Wearing a helmet is the best lifesaver for a motorcyclist.

All 50 states and the District of Columbia require motorcyclists to pass a written knowledge test to obtain a license or endorsement to operate a motorcycle on public roads. Licensing procedures vary.⁷ NHTSA recommends that motorcycle drivers hold learner's permits for at least 90 days before obtaining a full endorsement for a license.⁸ Despite state requirements, nearly 1 out of 4 motorcycle drivers involved in fatal crashes in 2006 didn't have a valid license. In comparison, 16 percent of passenger vehicle drivers involved in fatal crashes didn't have valid licenses in 2006. One study found that properly licensed motorcycle riders are less likely to be involved in fatal crashes than unlicensed riders.⁹

Although rider education courses can teach novice motorcyclists basic operating skills and help experienced motorcyclists refresh their skills, they don't appear to reduce the risk of crashes. Most states offer rider education programs based on courses created by the Motorcycle Safety Foundation.⁶ Participation is voluntary, but some states, like California, require new riders younger than 21 to attend. Riders in some states are offered the incentive of automatic licensure in lieu of a written knowledge test or road test once they complete a rider education course.

A 1996 review of the effects of motorcycle rider training in the United States, Canada, and Europe on crash risk concluded that there is "no compelling evidence that rider training is associated with reductions in collisions."¹⁰ The New York Department of Motor Vehicles conducted a large-scale analysis of motorcycle rider training between 1981 and 1985. In the NHTSA-sponsored study, motorcycle operator's license applicants were randomly assigned to one of four groups. One group took the state's existing knowledge and driving test and another took a Motorcycle Operator Skill Test developed by NHTSA. The two remaining groups were assigned to rider training courses, plus the operator skills test. Riders who took the state's standard knowledge and driving test had fewer motorcycle crashes in the subsequent two years than riders in the three experimental training program groups.¹¹