Alcohol-related motorcycle facts for 2014

In South Carolina and across the country, 4,311 motorcycle riders died in traffic accidents during 2014. While speeding, the driver’s age and the size of the motorcycle were factors in many of the crashes, alcohol was a factor in nearly 40 percent of the accidents, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Association.

In regards to alcohol-impaired motorcyclist riders, the report provided information showing the amount of bikers killed in each state, and what their blood alcohol content level was at the time of their death. For South Carolina, 111 bikers died in 2014. Of this amount, 37 percent had a BAC of .08 percent or more, and 45 percent had a BAC of .01 or more.

Of the 4,311 alcohol-impaired motorcycle riders who died on US roadways for 2014, 1,287, or 30 percent, had a BAC of .08 percent or more, and 299 or seven percent of bikers who were fatally injured had a lower BAC of .01 percent. The report further noted that motorcycle riders who experienced a fatal crash had a higher percentage of alcohol in their system than other types of drivers. Bikers had an alcohol impairment of 29 percent compared with light-truck and passenger car drivers at 22 percent and large truck drivers at two percent.

The report further showed that compared with 2005, the amount of fatalities among intoxicated motorcycle riders involved in single-vehicle accidents rose by two percent in 2014. Sixty-two percent of intoxicated biking accidents involving fatal single-vehicle wrecks for 2014 occurred during weekend evenings as well.

Because motorcycle riders have very little protection, they can easily suffer catastrophic and life-threatening injuries if they collide with a vehicle or large truck. If a negligent driver caused the wreck, the injured biker might wish to speak with an attorney to learn how to pursue compensation for their losses stemming from the accident.

Source:: NHTSA, “2014 Data: Motorcycles”, May 19, 2017