Motorcycling

How risky is riding a motorbike?

Riding 100 miles on a motorcycle in Britain carries about 12 micromortsMicromortA one-in-a-million chance of death. It lets you compare the risk of very different activities on one scale.More in the glossary, roughly the same risk as three skydives. In the US the figure is about 31. Per mile, that is around 27 times the risk of travelling by car in the US and about 40 times per vehicle mile in Britain. Riders who commute every day collect a yearly risk that dwarfs most extreme sports.

That does not make motorcycling unreasonable. It means the choices a rider makes about gear, speed, alcohol and training matter more than in almost any other everyday activity.

The numbers

	Britain	United States
Riders killed	340 (2024), 386 (2025)	6,335 (2023), 6,228 (2024)
Deaths per 100 million vehicle miles	11.5 (2024), 12.8 (2025)	31.39 (2023)
MicromortsMicromortA one-in-a-million chance of death. It lets you compare the risk of very different activities on one scale.More in the glossary per 100 miles	about 12	about 31

Sources: Department for Transport, NHTSA, IIHS. Rates are per motorcycle mile. Per passenger mile, which also counts pillion passengers, DfT RAS0203 gives about 107 deaths per billion miles in Britain in 2024 (10.7 micromorts per 100 miles), the figure used in the comparison tables on our cycling and driving pages. The US rate is more than twice the British one. Lower helmet use is one reason. Britain has required helmets for decades, while many US states require them only for younger riders. In 2023, 51% of motorcyclists killed in US states without a universal helmet law were not wearing one, against 10% in states with one.

Why are bikes so dangerous?

Two things set motorcycles apart. First, crashes happen more often per mile: a bike is harder to see, less stable when braking hard and more sensitive to gravel, wet paint and potholes. Second, when a crash happens, the rider has no protection apart from what they wear. A collision that would dent a car door can kill a rider.

IIHS's 2024 figures show how US deaths split:

• 65% involved another vehicle. Drivers turning across a bike's path at junctions is the classic pattern.
• 35% were single-vehicle crashes, often on bends, at night or at speed.
• 26% of riders killed had a blood alcohol level of 0.08% or higher.
• 36% of riders in fatal crashes in 2023 were speeding, against 22% of car drivers (NHTSA).

Injuries

For every rider killed, many more are left with serious injuries. Britain recorded 6,096 motorcyclists killed or seriously injured in 2025, close to the number of pedestrians (6,322), even though motorcycles are a small share of traffic. Head injuries, broken legs and pelvises, spinal injuries and road rash are common. Protective jackets, trousers, boots and gloves do little against a direct impact with a car, but they reduce injuries in the far more common slides and low-speed falls.

What a year of commuting adds up to

Take a rider who commutes 10 miles each way on 220 working days, about 4,400 miles a year. At British rates, that is roughly 530 micromortsMicromortA one-in-a-million chance of death. It lets you compare the risk of very different activities on one scale.More in the glossary a year from the commute alone, against about 12 for the same miles by car. In the US it would be closer to 1,400. Few hobbies carry a yearly risk that large, and commuting is rarely thought of as one.

How to ride more safely

1. Wear a full-face helmet that meets current standards (ECE 22.06 in Europe, DOT or Snell in the US). Helmets prevent about 37% of deaths and two-thirds of brain injuries.
2. Wear proper gear on every ride: armoured jacket and trousers, boots that cover the ankle and gloves. An airbag vest adds protection for the chest and spine.
3. Take further training. In Britain, advanced courses run by IAM RoadSmart or RoSPA, and in the US, Motorcycle Safety Foundation courses, teach braking, cornering and hazard reading.
4. Choose a bike with ABS. It helps riders brake hard without locking the wheels.
5. Ride as if drivers cannot see you. Cover the brake at junctions, avoid blind spots and use daytime lights and bright kit.
6. Never ride after drinking. A quarter of US riders killed were over the legal limit.
7. Returning after years off? Start with a smaller bike and a refresher course. Modern bikes are much more powerful than the ones many returning riders learned on.

How we scored it

Fatality risk (52) and injury risk (35) are among the weakest everyday scores on our list. Controllability (55) reflects that gear, sobriety and speed help a great deal while other drivers cause most fatal crashes. Help usually arrives quickly on public roads (84). Compare driving and cycling.