Riding Motorcycle

Motorcycle Riding

Understanding the Elevated Mortality Risk and How It Can Be Reduced

TL;DR

Riding a motorcycle is associated with a 30–34-fold higher risk of death per mile than driving a car.
Head injuries are the main cause of death; helmets reduce risk by about 35%.
Older riders, especially those over 55, have significantly worse outcomes after crashes.
Risky behaviours such as speeding, alcohol use, and unlicensed riding multiply risk further.
Helmet use, safe riding habits, and motorcycle choice can reduce — but not remove — the danger.

Mortality Risk Compared to Other Vehicles

Motorcyclists face a markedly higher risk of fatal injury than drivers of cars or trucks.
Per distance travelled, the mortality risk is 30–34 times greater than for car occupants.
(Lin & Kraus, 2009; Hsieh et al., 2017)

In the United States, motorcyclists are about 30 times more likely to die per crash and 58 times more likely per trip than car occupants.
Motorcycle deaths now represent around 1 in 7 road fatalities, totalling nearly 5,000 deaths annually.
Mortality rates rose from 21.0 to 38.4 deaths per 100 million miles travelled between 1997 and 2003.
(Redelmeier & Shafir, 2018; Paulozzi, 2005)

Key Factors That Increase Risk

Head injuries

Head trauma is the leading cause of death in motorcycle crashes.
Helmet use lowers the risk of death by about 35% and the risk of serious brain injury by over 65%.
(Rosander et al., 2023; Lee et al., 2017)

Age

Riders over 55 have higher mortality and more severe injuries, partly due to slower reaction time, comorbidities, and frailty.
(Granieri et al., 2020; Islam, 2021)

Risky behaviours

Speeding, alcohol use, and unlicensed riding are major contributors to fatal crashes.
(Li et al., 2022; Se et al., 2022)

Motorcycle type

“Supersport” motorcycles have up to four times higher fatal crash rates than standard or touring models.
(Teoh & Campbell, 2010)

Gender

Male riders account for over 90% of fatalities and are more likely to ride without helmets or at higher speeds.
(Hsieh et al., 2017)

Summary Table: Risk Factors and Effect on Mortality

Risk Factor	Effect on Mortality Risk	Key Studies
Riding a motorcycle	30–34× higher than car occupants	1, 2
No helmet	35% higher risk of death	5, 6, 7
Age over 55	Increased risk and severity	8, 9, 10
Supersport motorcycle type	4× higher death rate	12
Alcohol, speeding, no license	Substantially higher risk	11, 13, 14

Reducing the Risk

While motorcycle riding will always carry higher risk than driving a car, several measures significantly improve survival:

Always wear a certified helmet and protective gear.
Take a defensive driving or safety training course.
Avoid alcohol, fatigue, and distraction.
Choose safer motorcycle types (touring, standard) over high-performance models.
Ride within speed limits and keep tyres and brakes well-maintained.

Helmet laws and public education campaigns have been shown to reduce motorcycle deaths by up to 40% at a population level.
(Rosander et al., 2023)

Key Insights

Motorcycle riding remains one of the highest-risk transport behaviours.
Mortality risk increases steeply with speed, age, and lack of protection.
Helmets and defensive riding are proven to save lives but cannot eliminate risk entirely.
In public health terms, avoiding motorcycle use adds measurable years of life expectancy for most populations.

References

Lin, M., & Kraus, J. (2009). A review of risk factors and patterns of motorcycle injuries. Accident Analysis & Prevention, 41(4). DOI
Hsieh, C., Hsu, S., Hsieh, H., & Chen, Y. (2017). Differences between the sexes in motorcycle-related injuries and fatalities. Biomedical Journal, 40. DOI
Redelmeier, D., & Shafir, E. (2018). The Lunacy of Motorcycle Mortality. CHANCE, 31. DOI
Paulozzi, L. (2005). The role of new motorcycle sales in increased mortality rates. Journal of Safety Research, 36(4). DOI
Rosander, A., et al. (2023). Wearing a helmet saves lives. American Journal of Emergency Medicine, 69. DOI
Liasidis, P., et al. (2023). Injury patterns and outcomes in motorcycle passengers. Eur J Trauma Emerg Surg, 49. DOI
Lee, J., et al. (2017). How motorcycle helmets affect trauma mortality. Traffic Injury Prevention, 18. DOI
Granieri, S., et al. (2020). Effects of age and site of injuries on mortality. World J Emerg Surg, 15. DOI
Hsieh, C., et al. (2017). Motorcycle-related hospitalisations of the elderly. Biomedical Journal, 40. DOI
Islam, M. (2021). The effect of motorcyclists' age on injury severities. J Safety Res, 77. DOI
Li, Z., Huang, Z., & Wang, J. (2022). Illegal motorcyclist behaviours and injury severity. Sustainability, 14. DOI
Teoh, E., & Campbell, M. (2010). Role of motorcycle type in fatal crashes. J Safety Res, 41(6). DOI
Se, C., et al. (2022). Motorcyclist injury severity analysis. Int J Injury Control & Safety Promotion, 29. DOI
Hassanzadeh, K., et al. (2020). Motorcyclist risky riding behaviours and predictors. J Injury & Violence Research, 12. DOI

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for medical or safety advice.
Scientific summaries were compiled and synthesised using the AI models and peer-reviewed research.