Iowa Motorcycle Fatality Statistics
Iowa reported 41 motorcycle fatalities in 2015, according to a report from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). This number is down from some higher numbers in previous years. In 2014, there were 52, in 2012 there were 59 and in 2010, there were 60. The low point for this period came in 2011 when there were 36.
Iowa is one of the few states with no helmet law of any kind. This may be the reason only nine deaths were wearing helmets and another 31 did not have a helmet on in the fatal accidents. According to the NHTSA report, the state only has a 23 percent usage of helmets, which saved five lives. However, another 12 could have been saved in 2015 with 100 percent usage.
The state had 187,251 motorcycle registrations for 2014 with a fatality rate per 100,000 of 27.77. This rate is lower than many other states, but it is up from the rate in 2013.
The majority of fatality victims were in the 50-59 age range with 12 deaths. Another ten were in the 20-29 age range. No deaths involved victims under the age of 20.
Less than half of the counties in Iowa reported a motorcycle-related death in 2015. Those that did were dispersed throughout the state, with no specific area reporting a higher number. Only one county reported more than five deaths for the year. That county was Pottawattamie with six for the year. While this is a low number, it is up from previous years when there were between one and four deaths. Cass, Harrison and Monona counties all surround it and reported five or fewer deaths with one apiece for the year.
Directly across the state, a cluster of three counties each reported fatalities in motorcycle accidents for 2015. Jackson had one, Clinton had three, and Scott County reported four.