Hawaii Fatal Bicycle Accident Statistics
There were two bicycle fatalities involving motor vehicles for 2015 in Hawaii. This number is a decrease from the prior year, which had four. The three years before that also reported two deaths each year. This information is according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). It represents two percent of the total number of traffic fatalities, which is the same as the national average.
Statistics show that there has been a 13 percent increase in the number of bicycle-related deaths in 2015 from 2014, which is also the highest number since 1995. However, deaths have decreased since 1975 by 19 percent. The greatest decrease comes from those age 20 and younger with an 88 percent decline since then. The number of deaths for those age 20 and older has tripled during the same time. More males have been victims than females for every year since 1975.
Hawaii requires all riders age 15 and younger to wear a helmet at all times when riding. It is one of 21 states that have such a helmet law. Studies show that helmet usage decreases the number of head injuries by 50 percent, which is the most serious injury incurred in a bicycle accident. It also reduces face and neck injuries by 33 percent. In addition, fewer than 17 percent of victims were wearing helmets at the time of the accident.
Honolulu and Hawaii counties are the only two counties in Hawaii to report bicycle fatalities. Both of them reported fewer than six for 2015. Honolulu County had just one death, which was down from two for the previous year. Hawaii County also reported one, which is consistent with the past two years while two were reported in 2012. Maui dropped from one the past two years to zero in 2015.