May is Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month, and the Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau (GTSB) and the Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT) are partnering to address a concerning rise in motorcycle fatalities in the state. Despite motorcycles making up just 0.3 percent of registered vehicles and vehicle miles traveled in Iowa, they accounted for 16 percent of total fatalities in 2023, ten times higher than the national average. DOT staff say the absence of helmet laws in Iowa is a significant contributor to this trend, with 74 percent of motorcyclists killed in the past five years reported to have not worn helmets, contrasting sharply with the national average of 38 percent. Rider judgment is also a factor, as single-vehicle crashes are more common with motorcyclists. Veteran riders can be overly confident, while new riders lack the experience and knowledge of the dangers of the road. These pieces are all compounded by the added challenge of spotting the smaller motorcycles and the increased frequency of distracted drivers. As the summer driving season picks up, the DOT and GTSB remind Iowans to share the road, whether on two wheels or four.
