Record high number of motorcycle deaths in Missouri in 2023 (Photo permission granted by MoDOT)
Missouri had a record-high number of people killed in traffic crashes last year that involved motorcycles – 172. John Nelson, state highway safety and traffic engineer for the Missouri Department of Transportation, said each of the last three years have seen “significantly higher” numbers of motorcyclist deaths.
“Typically, in Missouri, we’ve been anywhere, you know, between 100 – 120 motorcyclist fatalities every year,” Nelson told Missourinet. “We saw significant increases in 2021 – 2022, and then especially in 2023.”
He said the repeal of the all-rider helmet law has played a large role in the spike in fatal motorcycle crashes.
“We’re seeing about an average of 45 to 55 additional motorcyclist fatalities every year since that helmet law was repealed,” he said. “And while I…certainly won’t pinpoint the entire increase on that, that certainly seems to be the thing that has changed the most.”
Among those who died last year, 77 were wearing a helmet that complied with federal standards, while eleven were wearing some other type of helmet. Seventy-three were not wearing a helmet at all.
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