Montana Fatal Motorcycle Accident Statistics
Montana reported 224 traffic deaths for 2015, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Of those, 24 were motorcycle fatalities. This number holds steady from 2014, which had 23, but it is down significantly from 2013 when there were 35 reported. For total deaths per 100,000 population, Montana is about twice as high as the national average of 10.92 with a rate of 21.69.
Of the 24 motorcycle fatalities, only five wore helmets. The state has a law requiring anyone age 17 and younger to wear a helmet, but others are not obligated to do so. The percentage difference is much broader than in years past when more people wore helmets. In fact, only 22 percent wore helmets, whereas 45 percent were helmeted in 2014 and 35 percent in 2013. The year 2015 had the lowest percentage of riders wearing helmets in crashes. In 2014, a total of 10 people who died were wearing helmets, and 12 did not. The disparity was a little greater in 2013 when 12 wore helmets, and 22 did not.
The majority of people while riding a motorcycle were between the ages of 50 and 59 with 11 deaths. Six deaths which occurred involved people over 59 while only one person died under the age of 20. More people were killed age 50 and over than those who were under 50 years old.
The majority of counties in Montana had no motorcycle-related deaths in 2015, and those that did had five or fewer for the year. Missoula County reported three while Flathead County had two. In the southern portion of the state, Big Horn had one fatality, and Yellowstone County had three, which was a decrease from the previous two years. The majority of fatalities were in the south and west.