From 2020 to 2024, 30,605 motorcyclists were killed on US roads, 14.9% of all traffic deaths. Their deaths follow the seasons far more closely than other traffic deaths.
Over the five years, 931 motorcyclists died in January, about 6 a day. In August, 3,753 died, about 24 a day: four times as many. For everyone else killed on the roads, the busiest month had only 1.3 times the deaths of the quietest.
| Season | Motorcyclist deaths, 2020–2024 | Share |
|---|---|---|
| December to February | 3,373 | 11.0% |
| March to May | 7,839 | 25.6% |
| June to August | 11,108 | 36.3% |
| September to November | 8,285 | 27.1% |
In January, motorcyclists were 6.3% of everyone killed on US roads. In June it was 20.2%, one death in five.
| Category | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|
| Jan | 913 |
| Feb | 1,216 |
| Mar | 1,914 |
| Apr | 2,474 |
| May | 3,275 |
| Jun | 3,546 |
| Jul | 3,619 |
| Aug | 3,653 |
| Sep | 3,483 |
| Oct | 2,859 |
| Nov | 1,750 |
| Dec | 1,184 |
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This chart counts fatal crashes in which a motorcyclist died, rather than motorcyclists, so its totals are slightly lower than the figures in the text: 29,886 crashes over the five years.
FARS counts deaths, not miles ridden, so these figures say more about how many people are out on motorcycles than about how dangerous any one ride is. Far fewer people ride in January, especially in the north.
Winter deaths are concentrated in four states
How much the numbers swing depends on the climate. Florida, California, Texas and Arizona accounted for 32.6% of motorcyclist deaths over the five years, but 59.0% of those in December to February: 1,989 of 3,373.
| State | Deaths, 2020–2024 | December to February | June to August | Winter share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Florida | 3,250 | 816 | 661 | 25.1% |
| Arizona | 1,047 | 215 | 248 | 20.5% |
| California | 2,939 | 540 | 852 | 18.4% |
| Texas | 2,752 | 418 | 797 | 15.2% |
| Pennsylvania | 1,123 | 39 | 501 | 3.5% |
| Ohio | 1,114 | 35 | 528 | 3.1% |
| Michigan | 889 | 12 | 462 | 1.3% |
| Wisconsin | 531 | 5 | 276 | 0.9% |
| Minnesota | 361 | 3 | 200 | 0.8% |
| United States | 30,605 | 3,373 | 11,108 | 11.0% |
Florida is the exception to the national pattern. More motorcyclists died there in the three winter months than in the three summer months, and its highest month was March, with 354 deaths, while its lowest was July, with 212. Of the other states, only Hawaii had a higher winter share, 26.3%, from a much smaller total of 137 deaths.
At the other end, Michigan recorded 2 motorcyclist deaths in January over the five years and 166 in July. Alaska, North Dakota and Vermont recorded none at all between December and February.
Weekends and early evenings
Motorcyclist deaths lean towards the weekend more than traffic deaths overall. Over the five years each day of the week came round 261 times. On average, 25.1 motorcyclists died on a Saturday and 21.4 on a Sunday, compared with 12.5 on a Monday, the day with the fewest. Saturdays and Sundays together accounted for 39.6% of motorcyclist deaths, on two of the seven days, compared with 33.3% of all traffic deaths. The weekend share was higher in summer, 40.4%, than in winter, 36.3%.
| Category | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|
| Sun | 5,430 |
| Mon | 3,208 |
| Tue | 3,305 |
| Wed | 3,448 |
| Thu | 3,647 |
| Fri | 4,499 |
| Sat | 6,349 |
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Most deaths happen in the late afternoon and early evening. Where the time was recorded, 44.0% of motorcyclist deaths happened between 3pm and 9pm, and the single hour with the most was 6pm to 7pm, with 2,450 deaths over the five years.
| Category | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|
| 12am | 960 |
| 1am | 743 |
| 2am | 679 |
| 3am | 389 |
| 4am | 330 |
| 5am | 435 |
| 6am | 585 |
| 7am | 568 |
| 8am | 456 |
| 9am | 552 |
| 10am | 743 |
| 11am | 1,068 |
| 12pm | 1,306 |
| 1pm | 1,465 |
| 2pm | 1,728 |
| 3pm | 2,004 |
| 4pm | 2,111 |
| 5pm | 2,285 |
| 6pm | 2,390 |
| 7pm | 2,182 |
| 8pm | 2,091 |
| 9pm | 1,872 |
| 10pm | 1,507 |
| 11pm | 1,240 |
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Helmets and alcohol
Police recorded whether each rider killed was wearing a helmet. Where that was known, 36.2% of motorcyclists killed in 2020–2024 were not wearing one, 10,695 people. The share was higher among those killed from June to August, 39.7%, than from December to February, 30.9%.
Part of that seasonal gap reflects where deaths happen at each time of year, because the share varies widely by state. In Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota, where almost all deaths are in the warmer months, 59.7% of riders killed with a known helmet status were recorded as wearing no helmet. In California it was 5.4%.
For alcohol, NHTSA estimates the blood alcohol of riders who were not tested, as it does for other drivers. Using those estimates, 27.0% of motorcycle riders killed in 2020–2024 had a blood alcohol concentration of .08 or higher, about 7,850 people. The share was 28.0% in June to August and 24.7% in December to February. The time of day made a much larger difference: 14.2% of riders killed between 6am and 6pm were at .08 or higher, against 39.5% of those killed between 6pm and 6am.
These figures describe the riders who died. They cannot show how many riders overall wear helmets or ride after drinking, because FARS has no count of the people who ride and are not killed.
About these figures
Motorcyclists are the riders and passengers of motorcycles, mopeds and other motorized cycles (FARS body types 80 to 89) who died within 30 days of a crash. Months, days and times are those of the crash, from the police report; 205 deaths with no recorded time are left out of the hourly figures. Helmet use is as recorded by police; 1,073 deaths where helmet use was unknown, not reported or not applicable are left out of the helmet shares. Blood alcohol figures are the average of NHTSA's ten estimates for each rider and cover the 29,112 riders who were operating the motorcycle; passengers are not included. What counts as a motorcyclist death