Statistics show that roughly 5,000 motorcyclists pass away in serious accidents every single year. In 2019, for instance, it was 5,014 individuals. You find a similar trend as you go back through the statistics, and it stands to reason that the complete numbers at the close of 2022 will be similar.
When you consider the fact that roughly 40,000 people die in car accidents overall, it seems like motorcycles don’t play a very big part in this. They’re only accounting for 1/8 of all of the fatalities. Some people take this to mean that it’s actually safer to ride a motorcycle, perhaps because the bike is nimble enough to avoid an accident or because motorcycle safety equipment has just gotten to be so good.
But that’s the wrong takeaway. The truth is that motorcyclists are 29 times as likely to be killed in accidents as those in passenger cars. It is vastly more dangerous to ride a motorcycle. Why is this true, despite the apparent lower total amount of fatalities?
Motorcycles are simply less common
The difference in the statistics is just that it’s far less common to see someone on a motorcycle. Riding seasons are short in some areas, motorcycles aren’t as convenient for those who have to carry passengers, and they typically are just used to cover far fewer miles every year than cars.
So, to discover that motorcycles are 29 times as dangerous, researchers just looked at the number of fatal accidents per miles driven. Because cars are used so much more often and cover so many more miles, they have a much lower fatal accident rate, even though they are involved in so many more fatal crashes in total.
Understanding the statistics is only half the battle. If you still want to ride your motorcycle, there’s a level of risk you have to take on simply by being around other drivers. Those who are injured in accidents caused by these other drivers may be able to seek financial compensation.
