Safety officials stress helmets, speed limits amid statewide rise in motorcycle crashes
By Jenna Wilson
Missouri saw a record year for motorcycle fatalities in 2023, and safety experts are warning motorcyclists about the growing concern.
According to data from the Missouri Department of Transportation, the state saw 171 fatal motorcycle crashes, up 121 from 2019.
Missouri repealed its helmet law back in 2020, which data has proven to be a big contributing factor to these fatalities.
“In 2020, Missouri had eight motorcycle fatalities involving people who were not wearing a helmet,” said Frank Till, executive director of the St. Joseph safety council. “And in 2021, that jumped up to 62 people that were not wearing a helmet, according to MoDOT statistics. That alone proves a drastic increase in fatalities resulting from that law change.”
82% of motorcycle crashes in 2023 resulted in injury or death, underlining the high risk of riding on Missouri’s roads. Additionally, 98% of those who died in crashes were the motorcycle riders themselves.
Officials say not wearing a helmet isn’t the only contributing factor to this concern, but also speeding.
“We’ve seen this locally from the motorcycle fatalities that we’ve had,” Till said. “The speed of the motorcycle operator has been a major contributing factor as to why the motorcyclist died in a traffic accident. When you’re on a motorcycle and you’re hitting a vehicle at 80, 90 or 100 miles an hour or more, your chances of survival are very slim.”
Despite Missouri retracting the helmet law, officials are warning motorcyclist to wear helmets, protective gear and obey all traffic laws.
“Statistics show, especially if you’re in town and operating a motorcycle at the proper speed, you have a much higher chance of surviving an accident if you’re wearing a Department of Transportation approved helmet and driving cautiously,” Till said.
