Motorcycling is a risky and dangerous activity. Motorcycle drivers, when involved in an accident, are more likely to die or suffer serious injury compared to occupants of enclosed vehicles. Here are some numbers and figures on motorcycle accident fatalities.

In 2015, more than 5,000 motorcycle drivers died due to motorcycle accidents – 13 fatalities daily, according to the estimates of Governor’s Highway Safety Association (GHSA). This makes motorcycles crashes the third deadliest type of vehicular accident on the road, only next to passenger cars which registered more than 19,000 fatalities, and light trucks, which caused 18,000+ deaths, also in the same year.

If only based on the number of miles driven, the likelihood that motorcycle rider would die in an accident was 26 times higher than that of those who rode passenger cars, according to a 2013 report of the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA).

Risk factors contributing to motorcycle fatalities include lack of helmet use, speeding, driving under the influence, and invalid licensure, also according to the same study. On the same report, the NHTSA said that 715 death would have been prevented if driver wore helmets. The rate of fatal accidents was also 31% lower for motorcycles with anti-lock braking system (ABS) compared with those without it, according to a GHSA study in 2013.

In California, motorcycle deaths accounted for 17% of all road fatalities. The total number of deaths is the second biggest in the country, second only to Florida.