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 legislation agency Nicolet Regulation assigns a motorcyclist threat rating to Texas of 99 out of 100. At No. 2 is Louisiana, with a rating of 77.
The research bases the scores on components 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 circumstances, alcohol and drug impairment, and speed-related visitors deaths.
The worst of the research’s findings: Texas ranks first within the nation for the typical 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 demise toll of 599.
“The latest surge in motorbike purchases and rising gasoline costs have led extra Texans to decide on bikes as their main transportation,” say the research’s authors. “This pattern, mixed with Texas’ intensive freeway system and excessive pace limits, creates distinctive security challenges.”
Texas really isn’t the state with essentially the most registered bikes. California ranks first in that class, with Texas in sixth place, in line with 2023 federal knowledge.
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 usually stops at accident numbers, however the true problem runs deeper,” says Russell Nicolet, president of Nicolet Regulation. “Driving represents freedom for a lot of, but it additionally exposes gaps in how we design roads, educate drivers, and put together communities for shared accountability. Till security is considered not as a person rider’s burden however as a collective cultural and infrastructural precedence, motorcyclists will stay uniquely susceptible.”
