Contact: Shane Austin
[email protected]
202.425.2776
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Statement by Cathy Chase, President of Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety (Advocates), on Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month and National Bicycle Safety Month in May
(Washington, D.C. | May 1, 2025) Motorcycles are the most hazardous form of motor vehicle transportation. While overall motor vehicle crash fatalities decreased slightly in recent years, according to data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), deaths among motorcycle riders have gone in the opposite direction, reaching the highest number on record. 6,333 riders were killed in 2023. Considering motorcycle helmets are proven to considerably reduce the risk of head injury and death, we urge states with existing all-rider helmet laws to preserve them and call on states lacking one to enact this proven lifesaver without delay. A recent analysis from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) calculated that between 1976 and 2022, over 22,000 additional lives could have been saved if all states had enacted all-rider motorcycle helmet use laws.
Tragically, fatalities among bicyclists also went up from 2022 to 2023; 1,166 bicyclists were killed in 2023. Bicyclists and other vulnerable road users (VRU) can benefit from roadway safety improvements which align with Safe Systems Approach and Complete Streets policies. As Congress begins deliberations on the next transportation reauthorization bill, we urge them to support necessary funding for roadway safety improvements including Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) and the Highway Safety Improvement Program, among others.
Advocates prioritizes advancing safety standards for technology proven to prevent or reduce the risk of crashes, including antilock brake systems (ABS) for new motorcycles. IIHS found that motorcycles equipped with ABS were involved in 22% fewer fatal crashes. We also call on the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) to retain the Final Rule requiring automatic emergency braking (AEB) with pedestrian detection in all new passenger vehicles. The next step should be to update the rule to detect and respond to motorcycle riders and bicyclists.
To reduce the incidence of crashes between vehicles and VRUs, more must be done to reduce the risk caused by dangerous speeding and red light running. All states should permit and use automated enforcement (AE) technology, otherwise known as speed safety cameras and red light running cameras. A 2020 review by the Congressional Research Service (CRS) found that speed safety camera programs are effective in reducing speeding and/or crashes near cameras. Research from IIHS found that red light running cameras reduced fatal red light running crashes by 14% and all fatal crashes at signalized intersections by 21%.
This month, as the weather invites more motorcyclists and bicyclists to take to the roads, it is time to put these commonsense solutions into effect. All road users deserve to arrive at their destination safely, no matter their chosen form of transportation. Policies which are shown to put an end to the motor vehicle death and destruction toll must be put in place as recommended in Advocates’ 2025 Roadmap to Safety report.
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About Advocates
Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety is an alliance of consumer, medical, public health, law enforcement and safety groups and insurance companies and agents working together to make America’s roads safer. Advocates’ mission is the adoption of federal and state laws, policies and programs that prevent motor vehicle crashes, save lives, reduce injuries, and contain costs.