Florida Personal Injury and Wrongful Death Blog

St. Petersburg Motorcycle Wreck Lawyer | Florida Leads in Number of Motorcycle Deaths

An article published in the St. Petersburg Times newspaper on Feb. 26, 2009 reveals more disturbing news for motorcycle riders in the Sunshine State.  Florida is the state with the most motorcycle deaths in the country, ahead of California and Texas. Nationally more people are riding "so more people are dying" according to a spokesman for the Governors Highway Safety Association in Washington.

The Motorcycle Industry Council reports sales have risen since 1993.  According to the U.S. Transportation Department, 1.2 million motorcycles were sold in 2006 as compared to 350,000 sold in 1997. So it stands to reason there are more motorcycle fatalities than ever before. Statistics have risen for the past 10 years. In 1997, 2,110 people lost their lives; and in 2006 almost 5,000 motorcycle riders died. 

In Florida, the Times article states statistics seem to have reached a "plateau" but that may be due to a lag in law enforcement agencies reporting their data.  These are the motorcyclist fatality stats for our state during the last few years: 441 in '05, 521 in '06, 517 in '07 and 489 in '08.

Courtney Heidelberg, of the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, says the state has done much to increase public awareness of motorcycle riders-bumper stickers,( Grieving Mom Helps Save Others ) a state requirement for riders to take a basic ride course. (State Requires Motorcycle Safety Course for All New Operators) She states recent fatality numbers may be skewed due to the economy and people are driving less these days.

We all know it is more dangerous to ride a motorcycle than it is to drive a car. ( National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) If you are in a wreck on a motorcycle, you are 35 times more likely to die than you would be if you had been in a car. Public awareness is  key to changing these disturbing statistics. Let's all do our part to save lives by driving defensively on our Florida roads.