Kentucky Fatal Motorcycle Accident Statistics
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Kentucky reported a total of 761 fatal traffic accidents in 2015. Of those, 91 were motorcycle fatalities. This number was a slight increase from the previous two years which reported 87 and 86 in 2014 and 2013, respectively. The number is down from 2012 when a total of 106 were reported. The high point over the ten-year period came in 2007 with 112 deaths.
The state as a whole is above the national average for traffic deaths per 100,000 population with a rate of 17.20. The US average is 10.92.
Of the 91 deaths, only 30 were wearing their helmets. Another 61 did not have a helmet on at the time of the crash. This number was a significant increase from 2014 when 48 did not wear a helmet, and 38 did. For 2015, 33 percent of those involved in a fatal crash were wearing a helmet, which helped save 18 lives. Another 23 lives could have been saved if the percentage was 100. Kentucky state law requires all riders age 20 and younger to wear a helmet. Those aged 21 and older may not wear a helmet if they can show proof of health insurance coverage.
The majority of fatalities involving a motorcycle included people between the ages of 30 and 39 with 22 deaths. In second place was 20 deaths for people between 50 and 59. There were 18 deaths for people between 40 and 49 and 17 deaths for those 20 to 29. Only three deaths were recorded for those age 20 and younger and 11 for those over the age of 59. Jefferson County reported the most fatalities on a motorcycle with 13 for the year 2015, which is an increase from the previous year but a decrease from 2013 and 2012.