Anyone who drives or has ridden on a motorcycle likely knows how easy it is to become seriously injured in an accident. Not only are serious injuries common in motorcycle accidents, but fatalities are also far too common. When we look at statistics related to fatal motorcycle accidents in Texas, some surprising findings may shed some light on how so many people are killed each year.
Fatal Accidents Per Year
While we don’t have data on all the potential factors that lead to motorcycle-related deaths in Texas, the numbers for fatal crashes do paint a striking picture. According to the most recent records, nearly 37,000 people are killed each year in a motorcycle accident. The data also show that the monthly death rate remains fairly consistent throughout the year, with only a slight decline in related deaths during the colder months.
What we can tell from these statistics is that seasonal changes and road traffic have little to no effect on motorcycle travel rates or the number of fatalities. Due to the steady nature of the rate of fatal crashes, we can assume there is no correlation between the number of accidents and busier times of year, when people tend to do more traveling, which suggests that many fatal motorcycle accidents are localized.
Fatal Crashes By Time of Day and Day of Week
When we look more closely at when fatal motorcycle crashes happen, we learn some key information.
For starters, we learn that between the hours of 6 am and noon on any given day, the rates of fatal crashes are relatively low. However, these numbers climb throughout the course of the day and peak between the hours of 6 pm and 3 am.
We also noticed a trend in higher accident rates on Friday through Sunday, with somewhat stable crash rates for the rest of the week. From this data, we can estimate that many of the fatal accidents are related less to traffic density and the number of potential vehicle collisions, and more so towards driver impairment, such as lack of sleep or DUI, given the time of day when crashes are most frequent and the days on which fatal crashes are at their highest.
Weather Conditions and Visibility
It’s only natural to assume that inclement weather and poor visibility might play a significant role in the rate of fatal motorcycle crashes. After all, slick roads and low lighting make it more difficult to drive for anyone, much less a motorcycle.
However, what we find when we look at the accident data is that a large portion, roughly ⅓ of all fatal motorcycle accidents per year in Texas, occur during the daylight hours under normal weather conditions. Significantly lower accident rates happen during poor visibility conditions, and inclement weather plays only a minuscule factor in the total number of fatal crashes.
Conclusions
While the data we have is incomplete, by piecing together the various bits of information we have, we can surmise that the vast majority of accidents are due largely to the error of either the driver of the motorcycle or other drivers.
It is important to take proper safety precautions when operating a motorcycle under any conditions. Always wear a helmet, keep a safe distance from other vehicles, and remember to signal properly when maneuvering on the road to decrease the chances of being in an accident.
