Michigan Motorcycle Incidents up by 1% According to New Study

A new study has revealed that South Dakota experienced the highest percentage increase in motorcycle incidents among all U.S. states between 2022 and 2023. The research, conducted by Uplift Legal Funding, analyzed the most recent available motorcycle incident data from the FARS system across all 50 states to determine which areas saw the most significant changes.

Michigan findings:

Michigan saw a rise of 1% in motorcycle incidents between 2022 and 2023. May, June, and July saw the highest number of incidents.

National findings:

Motorcycle incidents in South Dakota jumped from 17 in 2022 to 30 in 2023, marking a 76% increase. This is significantly higher than the overall U.S. trend where total incidents increased by just 1%, from 6,392 in 2022 to 6,432 in 2023. Incidents were most common during July and August.

Rhode Island ranked second with a 60% increase, as incidents rose from 10 to 16. The summer months proved the most dangerous, with the highest number of incidents taking place in July.

Idaho followed in third place with a 48% increase, with cases climbing from 27 to 40. Summer and fall have the highest number of incidents in the state, with 50% occurring in July.

Alaska and Tennessee complete the top five states with the highest percentage increases, at 38% and 32% respectively. Alaska’s incidents rose from 8 to 11, while Tennessee saw an increase from 154 to 204. Tennessee also had the highest number of incidents occurring in September, with 51 total over the period.

Vermont showed the sixth highest increase at 29%, with incidents rising from 14 to 18, followed by Wisconsin with a 27% increase, from 86 to 109 incidents. Wisconsin’s most dangerous month was August.

Iowa, New Hampshire, and Ohio rounded out the top ten with increases of 19%, 18%, and 12% respectively.

However, the ranking also revealed that several states experienced significant decreases in motorcycle incidents. 

Maine saw a 52% decrease, with incidents dropping from 33 in 2022 to just 16 in 2023. May and June had the highest number of incidents, with 21 total occurring.

Wyoming recorded the second-largest decrease at 38%, with incidents falling from 21 to 13. Delaware followed with a 33% decrease, dropping from 21 to 14 incidents. For both states, August and September were the most dangerous months.

Oregon and North Dakota complete the bottom five states with decreases of 32% and 29% respectively. Oregon’s incidents fell from 101 to 69, while North Dakota saw a reduction from 21 to 15.

According to UC Berkeley’s SafeTREC, the highest concentration of fatal motorcycle crashes in 2023 occurred on weekends, with over 41% taking place on Saturdays and Sundays. SafeTREC also noted that motorcyclists comprised 15.5% of all traffic deaths in the U.S. in 2023, despite making up only 3.3% of all registered vehicles and accounting for just 0.6% of all vehicle miles traveled.

Texas’s 609 incidents in 2023 represented 9.5% of the nationwide total that year. Florida’s 679 incidents made up 10.6%, and California’s 598 incidents accounted for 9.3%. When looking at the time of year, the summer months and early fall were the most dangerous with a total of 4,596 incidents between 2022 and 2023.

“The dramatic increases in states like South Dakota are concerning,” said Jared Stern, Founder of Uplift Legal Funding. “When motorcycle incidents rise so sharply in a single year, it suggests there may be specific factors at play such as changes in climate conditions or differences in state safety initiatives.

“Weekend riding is extremely popular among motorcyclists, but our data suggests it’s also the most dangerous time. Young men face the highest risk, while this isn’t surprising given traditional motorcycle ridership, it highlights where safety education might need to be targeted.

“The total number of motorcycle incidents across the nation remained stable with just a 1% increase year-over-year, but these swings in individual states highlight local trends that are crucial for developing targeted safety measures.”