Texas Determined to be Deadliest State for Motorcycle Riders

Here’s a shocking statistic involving the Lone Star State.

Researchers at ValuePenguin crunched the numbers to determine the deadliest states to ride a motorcycle in and Texas is at the top of the list with 6.2 deadly motorcycle crashes per 1,000 registered motorcycles from 2016 – 2020.

In all, there were 2,353 fatal motorcycle accidents during that period of time. There were actually more fatal accidents in Florida (3,036) and California (2,801), but each had a lower average per 1,000 registered motorcycles.

Get our free mobile app

Researchers weren’t able to narrow down the reason why some states are deadlier than others. There are those who would point to differing helmet laws as the main driver of fatalities as research suggests wearing helmets lowers the risk of a fatal accident by anywhere from 22% to 42%.

However, the findings of the study don’t support that theory.

For instance, Texas allows anyone over the age of 21 to ride without a helmet as long as they can meet a helmet exemption. On the flipside, New Hampshire is among the safest states when it comes to motorcycle fatalities, even though the state allows anyone over the age of 18 to ride without a helmet.

While there are many factors that lead to motorcycle accidents, the number one cause is the failure of other motorists to recognize motorcycles on the road, according to JD Supra. Motorcycles are small and are easily obstructed by other things on the road, which makes it hard for drivers who are paying attention to see them.

So, with that being said, the best advice I ever heard from a motorcycle rider was to view every other vehicle on the road as if they were trying to hit you.

Keep that in mind the next time you break out the bike for a ride.