You may wonder how many motorcycle accidents occur each year and in New Jersey specifically. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports the 2016 statistics, the most current ones available.
Across the country, 5,286 motorcyclists died in a collision, a 5.1 percent increase from 2015. Only 69 of these fatal accidents took place in New Jersey. Alcohol played a role in some of these incidents. Bikers who died in New Jersey had a blood alcohol content of at least .08 percent in 20 percent of these incidents, while 13 percent had a BAC level higher than .15 percent. Across the country, 25 percent of bikers were legally drunk when a fatal accident occurred. While you may think that most fatal crashes would occur at night or in inclement weather, this was not the case in 2016. The sky was clear or cloudy in 97 percent of these incidents and 59 percent occurred during the day.
While you may think that most of the fatal accidents in New Jersey involved bikers who were not wearing helmets, this was not actually the case. Riders wearing a helmet accounted for 89 percent of the fatalities, while unhelmeted riders made up four percent of the people killed in these incidents. The 2016 statistics report that 60 percent of the motorcyclists who sustained fatal injuries in a collision wore helmets.
Speeding is also a factor in fatal accidents. Speeding just before a collision resulted in the deaths of 33 percent of motorcyclists in 2016. While you might think that most fatal crashes would occur on interstate highways, this is not the case. Interstates were the scene of 9 percent of these incidents, while 21 percent occurred at minor arterial streets and 32 percent took place at principal arterial streets.
This information is general in nature and should not be used in place of legal advice.