Fatal Motorcycle Crashes – Arizona
The State of Arizona had a total of 126,845 total accidents in 2016 of which 865 were fatal. 103,237 of these accidents occurred in urban areas while 23,608 happened in rural regions. A total of 962 people were killed in all crashes, and 56,636 people were injured. Out of the 126,845 crashes in Arizona, 3,104 involved motorcycles.
Primary Causes of Crashes
Out of the 126,845 total crashes, 4923 were alcohol related. Speed-related accidents resulted in the death of 295 people while the lack of safety device was a factor in 329 fatalities. The most common driver violation related to crashes in Arizona was speeding. The most common manner of the collision was the rear end.
In 2016, alcohol-related crashes were responsible for 3.88% of all crashes and 31.21% of all fatal crashes. 78.81% of the alcohol-related crashes occurred in urban areas as compared to 21.9% in rural areas. Fatal alcohol-related crashes also primarily occurred in urban areas (at 67.04%) as compared to rural areas (at 32.96%).
Three of the most dangerous interstate highways run through Arizona. Arizona is also among the worst states (7th from the bottom) when it comes to phone usage while driving. There are no statewide distracted driving laws in Arizona, and it is one of the only 4 states that are yet to pass such a ban.
Motorcycle Crashes Stats – Arizona
There are 203,498 motorcycles registered in Arizona as of 31 December 2016. A total of 3179 motorcycles (two or three wheelers) were involved in motor vehicle crashes out of which 142 crashes were fatal, and 2,480 resulted in injuries. Motorcycle crashes were responsible for the death of 134 drivers. 10 passengers were also killed while 2,417 drivers and 176 passengers were injured. A total of 16 driver violations were associated with motorcycle crashes. These violations were mainly related to lack of safety equipment. 181 motorcycle crashes were alcohol related and resulted in 43 fatal outcomes and 131 injuries. 1778 motorcycle crashes were due to a collision with motor vehicle in transport, 694 were due to overturning, 19 were collisions with pedestrians, 13 were collisions with pedal cyclist, 31 were collisions with animal, 308 were collisions with a fixed object, 76 were collisions with a non-fixed object, 2 were related to vehicle fires or explosion and 53 of the crashes were non-collision related.
Accident Patterns
An analysis of the Arizona Department of Transpiration collision data conducted by Arizona Republic highlights certain patterns related to traffic-related incidents. The majority of fatal crashes occurred in May, June, and July. Over half of these collisions occurred on a Friday, Saturday or Sunday with 4am and 11pm seeing the majority of these crashes. 42% of fatal wrecks involved only one vehicle.
Economic Costs to Arizona
Motor vehicle crashes resulted in an economic loss of $10.75 billion for the state. Fatalities accounted for $5.58 billion of this amount, incapacitating injuries accounted for $1.8 billion, non-incapacitating injuries accounted for $1.7 billion, possible injuries accounted for $1.29 billion, and property damage accounted for $349,744.