How Many Motorcyclists Are Injured Or Killed Each Year In Texas?

On behalf of Lovett Law Firm posted in Motorcycle Accidents on Thursday, October 8, 2015.

The number of motorcyclists injured in crashes in Texas should be declining with the better safety equipment and traffic laws, but the fact is that there are still many accidents taking place all over the state. The Texas Department of Transportation collects information in the hope of finding ages and groups of people to target to help reduce these fatalities.

For instance, the data from the organization shows that for people the age of 24, there were 11 drivers killed who were wearing helmets, three killed who were not, and one person killed where it wasn’t clear if safety equipment was used. In fact, there are very few deaths or injuries among motorcyclists for anyone under the age of 18, and there are virtually no fatalities for those aged 14 or younger.

While that’s true for fatalities, it’s shown that much younger people were more often injured with incapacitating injuries. One 6-year-old, for example, was injured in a crash in 2014. He was wearing his helmet and marked as being the driver, despite the age limit being 16 to drive. People the age of 23 had the most injuries as drivers, with 55 total injuries regardless of wearing helmets or not. It’s important to point out that 35 of the people who were injured had helmets on, while 15 did not. Five of the remaining individuals couldn’t have their helmet use determined.

The data shows that while helmets do reduce the number of fatalities, injuries can still result. These people have been badly injuries, sometimes fatally, pointing out the necessity for further legislation and assistance in reducing motorcycle accidents across the state.

Source: Texas Department of Transportation, “Motorcyclist Fatalities and Injuries by Age Group and Helmet Use,” accessed Oct. 08, 2015