Motorcyclist Fatality Rate per Mile (2023)

NHTSA's 2023 traffic crash summary reports 6,335 motorcyclists killed for this measure. The probability shown here is 31.39 deaths per 100 million VMT (about 1 per 3.19 million miles), using motorcycle vehicle miles traveled as the denominator. NHTSA reported a 2023 motorcyclist fatality rate of 31.39 per 100 million VMT, almost 28 times the passenger car occupant rate of 1.13.

This fact should be read carefully because traffic safety denominators change the meaning of the number. Annual population rates answer, "how common was this outcome among people in the United States during 2023?" Per-mile rates answer, "how often did this outcome occur per vehicle mile traveled?" Conditional percentages answer, "among crashes or fatalities already in a specific category, how often did this factor appear?" Mixing those denominators would create misleading comparisons.

The decision value is exposure control. Traffic risk is not just about whether someone owns a car; it changes with miles driven, speed, alcohol use, seat belt use, road type, time of day, vehicle type, age, local infrastructure, and whether the person is walking, cycling, riding a motorcycle, or riding in a passenger vehicle. For this topic, practical prevention usually centers on comparing exposure-adjusted motorcycle risk with car travel, using helmets, avoiding impairment, and reducing high-risk miles.

The 2023 NHTSA summary uses FARS for fatal crashes and CRSS for estimated nonfatal injuries. FARS includes traffic crashes on public trafficways that involve a motor vehicle in transport and result in a death within 30 days. CRSS injury figures are estimates, not exact counts, so they are best used as national benchmarks for decision framing rather than as personalized forecasts.