As if Texas drivers wanted another reason to obey the foundations of the street: The Lone Star State now holds the undesirable distinction of being essentially the most harmful state for motorcyclists.
A brand new research from private damage regulation agency Nicolet Legislation assigns a motorcyclist danger rating to Texas of 99 out of 100. At No. 2 is Louisiana, with a rating of 77.
The research bases the scores on elements such because the variety of lethal motorbike crashes per 100,000 bikes, the variety of motorcyclists killed vs. the variety of motorcyclists concerned in crashes, common annual rainfall, street situations, alcohol and drug impairment, and speed-related site visitors deaths.
The worst of the research’s findings: Texas ranks first within the nation for the common variety of deaths per 100,000 bikes — 133. It additionally lands at No. 1 for the variety of motorcyclists concerned in lethal crashes per 100,000 bikes (148) and the variety of speed-related deaths per 100,000 bikes (60).
Final 12 months, 581 motorcyclists died on Texas roads, in line with the Texas Division of Transportation. In excellent news, that’s down barely from the 2023 loss of life toll of 599.
“The current surge in motorbike purchases and rising fuel costs have led extra Texans to decide on bikes as their main transportation,” say the research’s authors. “This development, mixed with Texas’ in depth freeway system and excessive velocity limits, creates distinctive security challenges.”
Texas really is just not the state with essentially the most registered bikes. California ranks first in that class, with Texas in sixth place, in line with 2023 federal information.
Nonetheless, Southern states dominate the record of most harmful locations for motorbike riders.
The highest 10 deadliest states for motorcyclists are:
1. Texas
2. Louisiana
3. South Carolina
4. Arkansas
5. Missouri
6. Tennessee
7. Florida
8. Mississippi
9. Nevada
10. Arizona
“The dialog about motorbike security typically stops at accident numbers, however the true subject runs deeper,” says Russell Nicolet, president of Nicolet Legislation. “Using represents freedom for a lot of, but it additionally exposes gaps in how we design roads, educate drivers, and put together communities for shared duty. Till security is seen not as a person rider’s burden however as a collective cultural and infrastructural precedence, motorcyclists will stay uniquely susceptible.”
