Before You Go: 10 US States With the Highest Motorcycle Accident Rates

There’s nothing as invigorating as taking a motorcycle ride. There’s something about being in the open air and letting the wind blow back your hair that a car ride can’t even come close to matching. But whether you’re a biker girl or sharing the road with one, there are many risks involved in traveling by motorcycle. Where you ride will play almost as important a role in ensuring your safety as how you ride.

Before you hit the road on your steel stallion, check out this list of the 10 U.S. states with the highest rates of motorcycle accidents in the country. If you’ll be traveling through any of them, make sure to exercise extra caution on the road. Yield to those vehicles that are bigger than you, and know what steps to take if you are involved in a motorcycle accident.

1. Flordia

According to a study by the Governor’s Highway Safety Association, Florida outranked all 50 other U.S. states for motorcycle fatalities. The Sunshine State reported 504 motorcycle fatalities in 2017. The one good point, at least, was this marked a 12.2% decrease from the 574 reported in 2016.

2. Texas

Keeping a close pace behind their neighbors across the Gulf of Mexico, the Lone Star State claimed the #2 spot with 491 fatalities in 2017. About the only thing Texas can say to their credit is that they’re making slight improvements. They marked a 4% decrease from the 495 deaths reported in 2016.

3. California

California may be one of the most beautiful states in the Union, but if you’re a biker, it’s also one of the most dangerous. California suffered 406 motorcycle deaths in 2017. There’s nothing good about such a senseless loss of life, but there was one very good point. This was a 28.3% decrease from the 566 deaths suffered in 2016 when they held the #2 spot.

4. Pennsylvania

A trip to the Keystone State may yield some amazing travel memories, but if you’re going by motorcycle, you’d best be on your guard. Pennsylvania lost 184 motorcyclists to fatal accidents in 2017. There was at least a marginal silver lining, as that was 7% less than the 191 they lost in 2014.

5. Arizona

For a state known for its rich traditions of hospitality and good-natured citizens, the Grand Canyon state wasn’t being very hospitable to motorcyclists in 2017. Arizona saw 165 lives lost to motorcycle accidents that year. To make matters worse, that was a 14.6% increase from the 144 lives lost in 2016.

6. Illinois

In a state of increasing poverty and debt, the saddest cost Illinois paid in 2017 was in the lives of bikers killed on the road. There were 162 deaths reported that year, a tragic increase of 5.2% from the 154 deaths reported the year prior.

7. Ohio

A trip to Ohio guarantees three things: terrible winter weather, some amazing Skyline Chili, and an above-average chance of getting killed on a bike. Ohio suffered 147 motorcycle fatalities in 2017. While this is much better than the 199 deaths from 2016, it’s a shame that a state with such a thriving motorcycle community would make this list at all. Still, a 26.1% decrease is a good trend to continue.

8. Indiana

Sharing in the pain of their Ohioan brothers and sisters, Indiana claimed the #8 spot with 144 deaths in 2017. This is especially startling for the Hoosiers, as this marked a 44% increase in the number of deaths from 2016, up from just 100.

9. North Carolina

The smell of fresh mountain air and pine cones may be their claim to fame, but there’s nothing enviable about claiming the #9 slot on this rollup. North Carolina had 141 deaths in 2017, although the good news is that this was a 7.2% reduction from the 152 deaths the previous year.

10. South Carolina

Not to be outdone by their cousins to the north, South Carolina also had 141 motorcycle fatalities in 2017. They only outdid North Carolina because they had a much better reduction, 24.6% less, from the total number of motorcycle deaths reported the year prior.