North Carolina Fatal Motorcycle Accident Statistics
North Carolina reported 1379 traffic fatalities for 2015, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The state had a rate of 13.73 per 100,000 population, which is slightly higher than the national average of 10.92. Motorcycle fatalities make up 14 percent of the total traffic deaths with 192 for the year. This number is up slightly over the past two years.
North Carolina has a state helmet law requiring all riders to wear helmets whenever they ride. Because of this fact, almost all of the fatalities involved people who wore their helmets. Only 14 people did not have a helmet at the time of the accident. This shows a 93 percent helmet use for 2015, which is similar to previous years. According to NHTSA, 105 lives were saved at the current helmet use.
The majority of people who were killed while riding a motorcycle were between the ages of 50 and 59 in 2015 with 48 victims. There were 42 people who died that were between 40 and 49, and another 40 were between 20 and 29. Only nine people who died were under 20 years of age while 24 people over the age of 59 died in a motorcycle crash.
The majority of counties in North Carolina had at least one motorcycle-related fatality but fewer than six. Nine counties had six or more deaths but fewer than 16. Cumberland County reported 14 fatalities for the year, which was more than double the previous year of six. Wake County also had 14 deaths, but it was only up slightly from 2014. Davidson County was another area with a significant increase, going from two fatal accidents in 2014 to eight in 2015. Catawba County stayed close to previous numbers with six, which is an increase of one. On the other hand, Mecklenburg County showed nine deaths for the year, but it was a significant decrease from 15 for the prior year.