Delaware Motorcycle Crash Statistics
In 2015, there were a total of 19 motorcycle fatalities in Delaware. This number is up from the previous year, which had 15 deaths but down from 2013 with 20. Of the 19 who died in motorcycle crashes in 2015, 13 of them were wearing a helmet and six did not have one on. This information comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, (NHTSA).
Helmet laws for Delaware require any riders age 18 and younger to wear a helmet when they are riding. While anyone age 19 and older are not required to wear a helmet, they are required to carry one with them.
Statistics from NHTSA show that 68 percent of riders wore a helmet in 2015, which saved eight lives. An additional two lives could have been saved if everyone wore a helmet.
The state had 30,393 registered motorcycles in 2014, which was up from the previous years but down from the two prior years. According to the NHTSA data, the majority of motorcycle deaths involved riders between the ages of 50 and 59 with five. Another four were in the 30-39 age range and four more were between 40-49. Only one death was a rider under the age of 20.
The majority of fatalities involving motorcycles happened in Kent and Sussex while New Castle had five in 2015. The number in New Castle was up from the year before from four to five, but it was down from 2011 when there were nine. Sussex recorded seven for the year, which was down from nine in 2014. Kent had seven in 2015, which was a significant increase from two the year before, and it was the highest number in the past seven years. All counties showed that some deaths included those who were not wearing helmets.