Florida Motorcycle Fatal Crash Statistics
The fatal crash statistics that were published by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), show that Florida had a total of 616 motorcycle fatalities in the year 2015. This is the highest number of rider deaths that has been reported within the last 10 years. The second highest number of fatalities caused by motorcycles was in 2007, which had 566 deaths occur that year. The sharp increase of fatalities has attracted the attention of legislators and lawmakers because the state of Florida accounts for 9 percent of all motorcycle operator or passenger deaths in the entire United States.
Florida helmet laws state that a person aged 21 years or older does not have to wear a helmet while operating a motorcycle if they have an insurance policy of at least 10,000 dollars in medical benefits. Motorcycle riders who were killed in traffic accidents while wearing a helmet included 316 of the total 616 fatalities that occurred in 2015. 283 riders were not wearing helmets, and another 17 were classified as unknown. The fatalities that occurred that were not wearing helmets have also seen a sharp increase from 2014 that had 223 unhelmeted fatalities to 2015, that had 283 unhelmeted rider fatalities.
One age group has dominated the motorcycle rider fatality statistics every year, for the last 5 years. Ages 20 to 29 have constantly seen the highest number of deaths. In 2015, 215 deaths occurred in this specific age group. In 2014, 158 deaths were reported in this age group. The consistency of the high percentage in this age bracket may continue unless helmet laws are revisited. In 2015, the next age bracket with the highest number of fatalities was the 50 to 59 age group, but that is still far below the 215 deaths recorded in the 20 to 29 age bracket.
The most populated county in Florida is located on the southern tip of the state. This county is known as Miami-Dade County and is home to over 2 million residents. This county also had the highest number of motorcycle fatalities reported than any other county, with more than 56 deaths.