There are more motorcyclists on the roadways today than ever before. Motorcycle crashes, injuries and fatalities increased over the last decade due to many factors, such as increased motorcycle licensing and motorcycle registrations.

Florida, known for its sunny weather, beautiful beaches, and scenic highways, is a great place to ride motorcycles year round. The state, host to popular motorcycle rallies such as Biketoberfest and Daytona Bike Week, is also a popular destination for motorcycle enthusiasts from around the nation and around the world. The growing number of residents and visitors in Florida who love riding motorcycles make motorcycle safety an important issue.

Since the late 1990s, the number of motorcycle fatalities has nearly tripled from 167 in 1997 to 462 in 2013. According to Florida’s Department of Health, in 2013, Florida hospitalization charges from motorcycle crashes exceeded $534,152,069.00. In addition, 50% of motorcyclist hospitalizations and emergency department visits in 2013 were not covered by commercial insurance. In 2013, motorcycle crashes represented only 3.1 percent of all traffic crashes and yet represented 19.2 percent of all traffic fatalities.

Motorcycle Crash Trends in Florida (Web) Presented on March 6, 2014 by: Chanyoung Lee, Ph.D., PTP; Center for Urban Transportation Research (CUTR), USF