Injury and fatality statistics for motorcycle crashes

On behalf of Aiken and Aiken P.C. Personal Injury Attorneys posted in Motorcycle Accidents, on Thursday, October 16, 2014

The National Center for Statistics and Analysis, which is operated under the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, reports that 4,957 motorcyclists died and 93,000 were injured in traffic accidents across the country in 2012. Among those fatalities, 51 motorcyclists died in Massachusetts crashes. Although the state requires all motorcyclists to wear helmets, 7 percent those killed were not wearing one. In 2012, motorcycles with two wheels were involved in 93 percent of all fatal motorcycle accidents. Fifteen percent of all crash-related deaths were motorcyclists while 4 percent accounted for all injuries and 18 percent for all deaths among vehicle occupants. Furthermore, 93 percent of motorcyclist deaths were drivers and 7 percent were passengers. The average age of motorcycle drivers killed in 2012 crashes was 43, and 56 percent of all motorcyclists killed were age 40 and older. Among all of the traffic accidents recorded in 2012, 52 percent involved motorcycles, and only 7 percent of the crashes involving another motor vehicle involved the motorcycle being hit from behind. According to the statistics, 4 percent of fatal motorcycle accidents were with large trucks, 14 percent were with light trucks, 18 percent were with passenger vehicles and 22 percent were with fixed objects. Of all of the motorcycle crashes, 34 percent of bikers were speeding prior to a wreck. If the death of a motorcyclist is the result of another party’s negligence, the surviving relatives might be entitled to compensation. The executor of the deceased may bring a wrongful death action against the negligent party on behalf of the survivors. A lawyer could help the executor with building a case for compensation and initiating the action if the individual is unfamiliar with the process. Source: The 188th General Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, “Section 2- Wrongful death; damages” Source: United States Department of Transportation, “Traffic Safety Facts – Motorcycles“, October 10, 2014