Motorcycle Safety
Contents
- Federal Action
- State Action
- State Motorcycle Helmet Laws
- Evidence of Effectiveness: Helmets and Rider Education
- Conclusion
- Appendix
NCSL Staff Contacts
Transportation Review
January 2012
By Douglas Shinkle and Anne Teigen
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), motorcyclist fatalities increased for 11 years between 1997 and 2008, reaching an all-time high of 5,312 in 2008. In 2009, however, the number of deaths declined for the first time in more than a decade to 4,462. Still, motorcycle fatalities accounted for 13 percent of total traffic fatalities, even as overall traffic fatalities in 2009 dropped to the lowest numbers and rates since 1949. To reduce the percentage of deaths and injuries from motorcycle crashes, the federal government and states continue to refine and expand existing safety programs and laws.
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