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ICJI > Traffic Safety > Motorcycle Safety & Awareness Motorcycle Safety & Awareness

Statewide Advertising Campaign airs April 10-17, 2011

Motorcycle Safety & Awareness Media

In 2009, MotoGP Champion Nicky Hayden agreed to serve as a spokesperson for the Traffic Safety division's growing Motorcycle Safety and Awareness program. He was featured in several radio, television, and print ads aimed at preventing impaired riding and increasing awareness of motorcyclists on Indiana's roadways.    

In 2010 Hayden continued to lend his support to the campaign by appearing in news spots focused on safe riding practices (i.e. deterring speed) and the use of safety gear.  

Ride Safe, Indiana 2010

      Wear Your Gear  (:30 - .wmv)

      Speeding (:30 - .wmv)

Ride Safe, Indiana 2009

      Motorist Awareness  (:30 - .wmv)

      Drinking and Riding (:30 - .wmv)

Print Creatives

      Moto GP Hayden Billboard

      2010 Gear Billboard

Indiana Motorcycle Safety & Awareness

From 2008 to 2009, fatalities and injuries to Indiana motorcycle riders declined to the lowest level since 2006. In 2009, Indiana motorcyclists were involved in 3,276 collisions, resulting in 113 fatalities (unless noted otherwise, motorcycles and mopeds are grouped together). Fatalities included 107 motorcycle operators, four motorcycle passengers, and one driver and one passenger in two other vehicles. This fact sheet examines motorcycle collisions within Indiana, including fatality and injury rates among riders, alcohol-related collisions, helmet use, licensing statistics, and the geography of those collisions in the state.

In 2009, persons killed in motorcycle crashes in Indiana declined 15 percent, from 133 in 2008 to 113 in 2009. Individuals killed in motorcycle collisions accounted for 16.3 percent (113/692) of total Indiana traffic fatalities. Indiana motorcycle collisions per 10,000 registered motorcycles decreased over the 2008 to 2009 period, from 190.7 to 162.1. The fatality rate per 10,000 motorcycles also dropped (6.6 to 5.6) from 2008 to 2009. This is the first annual decrease in total motorcycle collisions in the 2003-2009 period. Single vehicle crashes accounted for 45.6 percent of all motorcycle collisions. Of the 111 fatal collisions, 48 (43.2 percent) were single vehicle.

There were 3,486 individuals on motorcycles involved in collisions in 2009, of which 111 were killed. The number of individuals killed on motorcycles declined 14.6 percent from 2008 to 2009.

The age distribution of seriously injured motorcyclists remained similar from 2008 to 2009. Motorcyclists’ age 40 to 49 years comprised the largest group of individuals with fatal or incapacitating injuries. All age groups experienced declines in the number of seriously injured riders, except the youngest group (which increased) and the 30 to 39 year old group (which remained the same). The number of seriously injured motorcyclists 15 years and under nearly doubled, from 13 in 2008 to 24 in 2009.

In 2009, slightly more than one-half of all motorcycle and moped operators involved in crashes had some type of valid motorcycle license. In fatal crashes, only 40.2 percent of operators had valid motorcycle licenses.

Generally, the percentage of collision involved motorcyclists with valid motorcycle licenses increased from 2005 to 2009. However, there are substantial differences between the driver’s license status of motorcycle versus moped operators. Moped operators involved in collisions were much more likely to be completely unlicensed (42.6 percent in 2009). In comparison, fewer than three percent of collision-involved motorcycle operators were unlicensed from 2005 through 2009. Indiana data suggests a direct positive relationship between operator age and the likelihood of proper motorcycle licensing. In 2009, slightly more than one third of 16 to 20 year old operators in crashes had valid motorcycle permits, whereas more than half of operators 40 years of age and older had proper licenses.

In 2008, nearly 23 percent of motorcycle operator fatalities had reported BAC levels of 0.08 g/dL or greater; in 2009, the rate dropped to 12.1 percent, by far the lowest rate since 2005. This is compared to 2.5 percent of motorcycle operators in non-fatal collisions.

In summary, statistics regarding Indiana motorcycle crashes improved in 2009. The decline in motorcyclist fatalities and injuries from 2008 to 2009 was significant: there was a 14.6 percent decrease in deaths, and a 17 percent decline in non-fatal injuries. These reductions were accompanied by slightly lower rates of single-vehicle motorcycle collisions in which alcohol was involved, for both fatal and non-fatal crashes. In 2009, there were few if any improvements in reported helmet use in crashes—the rate of helmet use remained at slightly more than one-third of all motorcycle riders involved in collisions. Finally, while improvements occurred, the Percentage of total traffic fatalities in Indiana attributable to motorcycles—16.3 percent—remained high, and is substantially larger than the 2003 proportion (9.4 percent).

Motorcycle Safety Resources

Motorcycle Summit Presentations

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