August is the deadliest month for motorcyclists across the US
August is the most dangerous month for motorcyclists across 12 states, based on when the most fatalities occur each year.
A new study by High Rise Financial has identified which states see the highest risk to bikers in August each year, based on the percentage of traffic fatalities involving motorcyclists recorded each month over the last five years.
August proves the most dangerous month in the following states: Mississippi, Texas, Maryland, Washington, Wyoming, Indiana, Vermont, Montana, Ohio, South Dakota, Iowa, and Wisconsin.
The above states report August as seeing the most motorcyclists killed compared to any other month - with year-round statistics further highlighting the risk level for bikers.
Nationally, 14.5% of people involved in fatal collisions over the last five years were motorcyclists, working out to 29,215 bikers killed across a total 201,831 fatalities.
In Mississippi, there are 1,811 registered motorcycles per 100k population, with 259 of the 3,591 total road fatalities reported each year being motorcyclists - equivalent to 7.2%.
When it comes to road safety, more than one in 10 bikers killed in Mississippi weren’t wearing helmets at the time of collision (accounting for 14.7% of the 259 motorcyclist fatalities, equating to 38 casualties).
Texas sees a huge 42.5% of motorcyclist fatalities involving bikers without a helmet each year. Of the 20,694 total recorded road deaths in the state each year, over one-tenth (12.5%) were motorcyclists, equating to 2,581.
Maryland reports 402 motorcyclists killed in a road collision each year, but this equates to 14.1% of the state's 2,856 total recorded road fatalities. Of this, 13.2% of motorcyclists were recorded as not wearing a helmet.
Washington has 1,902 registered motorcycles per 100,000 residents, with 554 of the state's 3,329 road deaths involving bikers each year. This equates to 16.6%. Of the states reporting the highest death toll in August each year, the state sees the lowest rate of killed motorcyclists not wearing helmets at 3.43%.
Meanwhile, Wyoming sees 40.9% of motorcyclist fatalities categorized as 'no helmet', with 88 of the state's 662 annual road deaths involving a biker - working out as 13.3%.
A representative of High Rise Financial commented on the findings: "The data also reveals that summer months are particularly dangerous for motorcyclists, with August being the deadliest month across several states. This coincides with peak riding season when more motorcyclists are on the road, as well as when tourism increases.
“The risk is likely to rise towards the end of the month in the run up to Labor Day, so it’s no surprise that August sees a surge in fatalities across several states.
"The significant variation in fatality rates between states suggests that factors beyond just the number of riders play a role in motorcycle safety – including traffic laws, road conditions, weather patterns, and safety education."
Credit: https://www.highriselegalfunding.com