How Many People Die in Motorcycle Accidents Every Year?

If you’re asking how many people die in motorcycle accidents every year, the answer comes from crash records kept by federal and state agencies. The total changes from one year to the next. Riders, passengers, and families all ask this question for different reasons. This page explains where the numbers come from, what they mean, and what a passenger or family member may be able to do after a motorcycle crash in Georgia.

How Many Motorcyclists Die in Crashes Each Year Nationally

The national count of motorcyclists killed in traffic crashes comes from federal crash records, mainly the Fatality Analysis Reporting System, usually called FARS. The total is published one year at a time. It rises and falls from year to year, so one year’s number shows only part of the picture.

Those records track deaths in crashes on public roads. They include riders, passengers, and others killed in crashes that involve a motorcycle. A death count leaves out the many riders who survive serious injuries. Those injuries can mean long recovery, lost work, and large medical bills that no yearly total shows.

For broader context on riding in Georgia, see our Georgia motorcycle accident guide.

How the Yearly Count Is Gathered and Why Numbers Lag

Yearly counts begin with police crash reports. Officers record details about each crash. Those reports are coded into a national database, and federal analysts use that database to publish totals.

The newest year is often the least complete. Some people die days or weeks after a crash, and their deaths must be confirmed. Records also go through review before final totals are set. That means early figures can change.

Fatal crashes and deaths are not the same thing. A fatal crash is one crash that caused at least one death. That one crash can kill more than one person, such as a rider and a passenger. So the number of people killed can be higher than the number of fatal crashes. When you read a statistic, check whether it counts crashes or people.

Georgia’s Motorcycle Fatality Picture

Georgia’s Department of Driver Services publishes statewide motorcycle crash and fatality data. Its 2019 Motorcycle Traffic Safety Facts sheet covers that data for 2019.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety reports 1,403 motor-vehicle crash deaths in Georgia in 2024. That is a rate of 12.5 deaths per 100,000 people. This number covers all motor-vehicle crashes, not motorcycle crashes alone. Use it as broad context, not as a motorcycle count.

Statewide totals include crashes in metro Atlanta counties such as Gwinnett, Fulton, Cobb, and DeKalb. Riders in Duluth, Lawrenceville, Alpharetta, Marietta, Norcross, and nearby communities are part of that count.

Who Is Counted Among Those Killed: Riders, Passengers, and Others

Motorcycle crash deaths include the rider, any passenger, and other people killed in the same crash. That can include the driver of a car or truck, or a pedestrian.

Take a two-person motorcycle hit by a car that turns left across its path. The rider and the passenger are both in the crash. If the passenger dies, that death is recorded in the same crash as the rider’s. One crash can affect several people, and each person’s injury or death is part of the record.

Head injuries are a serious concern in these crashes. The Administration for Community Living says traumatic brain injuries can result from external forces, including automobile accidents. It also reports that about 1.56 million of these injuries occur each year, according to federally supported research.

Can a Passenger Make a Claim After a Motorcycle Crash in Georgia?

A passenger is not automatically shut out of a claim because they were not the one driving. Georgia law says that when someone breaks a legal duty and another person suffers damage, the injured person may recover for that breach, as O.C.G.A. § 51-1-6 provides.

The at-fault party might be another motorist, a commercial truck driver, or someone else whose conduct helped cause the crash. A passenger’s options depend on who was responsible and how.

Georgia also divides fault by percentage. Under O.C.G.A. § 51-12-33, a judge reduces damages in proportion to the injured person’s share of fault. A plaintiff who is 50 percent or more responsible receives no damages. How these rules apply depends on the facts of each crash.

Wrongful Death Claims and Time Limits in Georgia

When a motorcycle crash causes a death, Georgia law lets certain family members bring a wrongful death claim. Under O.C.G.A. § 51-4-2, a surviving spouse may recover for the homicide of a spouse or parent. If there is no surviving spouse, a child or children may do so.

Georgia generally sets a two-year deadline for actions for injuries to the person. O.C.G.A. § 9-3-33 says that period runs from when the right of action accrues. Waiting can make evidence harder to gather. Crash reports, witness names, and vehicle data are easier to find while they are fresh.

Common Questions

Talk Through Your Crash With Our Team

If you were riding, riding behind a driver, or lost a family member in a motorcycle crash, you don’t have to sort out the facts alone. Our team can review what happened and talk through your options with you. Contact us to set up a free, confidential first consultation, with no obligation to continue. If a case moves forward, you may still be responsible for court costs and case expenses.

Attorney advertising. Responsible lawyer: Peter F. Jaraysi, Slam Dunk Attorney, Duluth, Georgia. Contact us through our contact page.