335 Motorcycle Fatalities in 5 years: Missouri Ranks #4 as One of America’s Deadliest States for Speeding Motorcyclists
KEY TAKEAWAYS
? Missouri records a speeding-related motorcycle fatality rate of 50.03 per 100,000 registered motorcycles, the fourth highest in the nation and 7.8% above the average of the 10 deadliest states.? A motorcyclist registered in Missouri is 17.55 times more likely to die in a speeding crash than one in Montana, the safest state, despite Montana registering 2.83 times more motorcycles.? Missouri’s 67 average annual fatal speeding crashes nearly match South Carolina’s 69, despite registering 12% more motorcycles. |
(STL.News) Somewhere on a Missouri road, a motorcyclist died in a speeding-related crash every five and a half days between 2019 and 2023, 67 riders a year who left and never returned. At 50.03 fatalities per 100,000 registered motorcycles, Missouri doesn’t just rank fourth in the nation; it sits right at the 50-per-100,000 threshold breached only by Texas, South Carolina, and Hawaii. Just a fraction below that grim line, Missouri stands as the deadliest state outside America’s most dangerous tier of speeding fatalities.
The study, conducted by the Law Offices of Adrianos Facchetti, examined fatal motorcycle crashes involving speeding across all 50 U.S. states from 2019 to 2023. The study uses exposure-adjusted metrics, fatal speeding crashes per 100,000 registered motorcycles, to enable meaningful comparisons between states with vastly different motorcycle populations.
MISSOURI SPEEDING-RELATED MOTORCYCLE FATALITIES AT A GLANCE
| Metric | Missouri | National Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Avg Annual Fatal Speeding Crashes | 67 | #4 by rate |
| Registered Motorcycles (Avg) | 133,924 | |
| Rate per 100K Registered Motorcycles | 50.03 | #4 |
| Total Fatal Speeding Crashes (2019 to 2023) | 335 | #10 |
HOW MISSOURI COMPARES TO THE 10 DEADLIEST STATES NATIONALLY
| Rank | State | Avg Annual Fatal Speeding Crashes | Registered Motorcycles (Avg) | Rate per 100K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Texas | 248 | 339,768 | 73.05 |
| 2 | South Carolina | 69 | 119,590 | 57.70 |
| 3 | Hawaii | 16 | 30,704 | 51.46 |
| 4 | Missouri | 67 | 133,924 | 50.03 |
| 5 | New Mexico | 25 | 57,176 | 44.07 |
| 6 | North Carolina | 80 | 191,462 | 41.89 |
| 7 | Arizona | 86 | 225,073 | 38.21 |
| 8 | Nevada | 28 | 75,941 | 36.34 |
| 9 | Mississippi | 11 | 31,395 | 35.67 |
| 10 | Colorado | 64 | 180,659 | 35.65 |
Missouri’s rate of 50.03 exceeds the top-10 average of 46.41 by 7.8%. Its per-bike risk is 1.31x that of Arizona, which registers 1.68x more motorcycles.
MISSOURI VS. BORDERING STATES
| State | Avg Annual Fatal Speeding Crashes | Registered Motorcycles (Avg) | Rate per 100K | National Rank | Gap from Missouri |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Missouri | 67 | 133,924 | 50.03 | #4 | |
| Oklahoma | 33 | 146,174 | 22.44 | #25 | 2.23x lower |
| Kansas | 20 | 89,839 | 22.26 | #26 | 2.25x lower |
| Tennessee | 39 | 192,232 | 20.29 | #29 | 2.47x lower |
| Arkansas | 21 | 127,039 | 16.22 | #35 | 3.08x lower |
| Kentucky | 19 | 102,068 | 18.61 | #32 | 2.69x lower |
| Illinois | 55 | 295,085 | 18.64 | #31 | 2.68x lower |
| Iowa | 15 | 193,379 | 7.86 | #48 | 6.37x lower |
| Nebraska | 7 | 51,451 | 13.22 | #41 | 3.78x lower |
All eight bordering states record rates at least 2.23x lower than Missouri’s 50.03.
MISSOURI VS. THE 10 SAFEST STATES
| Rank | State | Avg Annual Fatal Speeding Crashes | Registered Motorcycles (Avg) | Rate per 100K | Gap from Missouri |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #4 | Missouri | 67 | 133,924 | 50.03 | |
| #50 | Montana | 11 | 378,905 | 2.85 | 17.55 x lower |
| #49 | South Dakota | 6 | 135,131 | 4.44 | 11.27x lower |
| #48 | Iowa | 15 | 193,379 | 7.86 | 6.37x lower |
| #47 | Minnesota | 21 | 230,464 | 8.94 | 5.60x lower |
| #46 | Wisconsin | 30 | 297,619 | 10.01 | 5.00x lower |
| #45 | North Dakota | 4 | 40,439 | 10.39 | 4.81x lower |
| #44 | Utah | 16 | 142,902 | 11.34 | 4.41x lower |
| #43 | Alaska | 3 | 26,387 | 11.37 | 4.40x lower |
| #42 | New York | 85 | 701,849 | 12.17 | 4.11x lower |
| #41 | Nebraska | 7 | 51,451 | 13.22 | 3.78x lower |
The 10 safest states collectively register 2.20 million motorcycles, 16.4x Missouri’s fleet. Yet it produces only 198 combined annual fatal speeding crashes, just 2.95x Missouri’s 67.
METHODOLOGY
This study analyzed fatal motorcycle crashes involving speeding across all 50 U.S. states from 2019 to 2023, using data from the Federal Highway Administration’s Highway Statistics Series on motorcycle registrations. The key metric, fatal speeding crashes per 100,000 registered motorcycles, was calculated by dividing the average annual number of fatal crashes by the average annual number of registered motorcycles and multiplying by 100,000.
DATA SOURCES
Motorcycle Registration Data: Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Highway Statistics Series, Table MV-1
https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/policyinformation/statistics/2023/mv1.cfm
https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/policyinformation/statistics/2022/mv1.cfm
https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/policyinformation/statistics/2021/mv1.cfm
https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/policyinformation/statistics/2020/mv1.cfm
https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/policyinformation/statistics/2019/mv1.cfm
Research Data: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1S6PjEpeuPGgOqSffo1q7mkdGvAupJbsm6uUBoizP0ME/edit?gid=0#gid=0
Study by: https://facchettilaw.com/
| ABOUT THE LAW OFFICE OF ADRIANOS FACCHETTI
The Law Office of Adrianos Facchetti is a personal injury law firm representing individuals and families affected by motor vehicle accidents, including motorcycle crashes. The firm promotes road safety awareness through public education and data-driven research. |
