Facts about Ohio motorcycle crashes and fatalities

Americans, including those in Akron, Ohio, have their reasons why they choose to ride a motorcycle, rather than a passenger vehicle. Some may say that they ride motorcycles for recreational purposes only that others may describe the sense of freedom they feel while riding. Besides these, the high price of gasoline and commodities are also a factor in the increasing number of people who love motorcycles.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), motorcycles include mopeds, off-road motorcycles, scooters, pocket-bikes and mini bikes. Riding any of these types of motorcycle comes with a lot of risks, however. In a report released by the NHTSA, motorcycle riding contributed to the number of people dying as a result of motor vehicle accident. Fourteen percent of all traffic-related deaths were motorcyclists in 2011. In that same year, they represented 17% of all cases, involving occupant deaths and represented 4% of all occupants injured.

Motorcycles are a common sight on American roadways and made up 3% of all registered vehicles in the U.S. This figure does not include those who ride motorcycles without a license. Nonetheless, motorcycle riders are often prone to injury accidents and deaths. There were 2,449 motorcycles that were involved in a fatal collision with another kind of vehicle. Seventy-five percent of those motorcycles hit the vehicle in front of them while only 6% were struck from behind. The report found that motorcycle riders were more than 30 times more likely to die in motor-vehicle crashes than passenger car occupants.

But, since 2007, injuries related to motorcycle accidents have declined. NHTSA has confirmed that the number of injuries have declined from 103,000 in 2007 to 81,000 in 2011. This also applies to the fatality rate associated with motorcyclists. In 2007, 5,174 people died in motorcycle-related accidents compared with 4,612 in 2011.

Source: NRD-NHTSA.dot.gov, “Traffic Safety Facts,” accessed on Aug. 12, 2014