Safest States to Ride a Motorcycle In

Riding a motorcycle is inherently more dangerous than driving in a passenger vehicle. In fact, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates that motorcyclists are four times more likely to be injured and 22 times more likely to die in a traffic collision than passenger vehicle occupants. If you’re a motorcyclist who’d rather avoid becoming a part of these statistics, you’re probably interested in where you can most safely enjoy a ride. With that in mind, we’ve crunched the numbers to find out which states are the safest to ride a motorcycle in.

To arrive at these numbers, we looked at the NHTSA’s most recent data on motorcyclist fatalities per state and cross-referenced that against the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety (IIHS) data on the number of motorcycles registered per state. This allowed us to arrive at the number of motorcycle fatalities each state had as a proportion of their overall number of motorcycles.

So, which states are the safest to ride in? Here’s what our numbers say:

1. South Dakota: One fatal motorcycle accident per every 4,086 registered motorcycles

While it might come as a bit of a surprise, South Dakota leads the Union in its low rate of fatal motorcycle accidents. The 40th state combines good infrastructure with low traffic density, making for safe riding conditions. If you’re interested in visiting, be sure to check out Mount Rushmore, the iconic sculptural portrait of presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Teddy Roosevelt that gives the state its nickname.

2. Wisconsin: One fatal motorcycle accident per every 3,749 registered motorcycles

Just two states east of South Dakota is the next state on our list. Wisconsin has about six times the population as South Dakota, which means there are considerably more people on their roads. However, something about the state—perhaps that famous Midwestern politeness?—seems to counteract the effects of that added traffic. And of course, no motorcycle trip to Wisconsin would be complete without a visit to the Harley-Davidson Museum!

3. Iowa: One fatal motorcycle accident per every 3,405 registered motorcycles

Sensing a trend? Wisconsin’s southwestern native clocks in at number three on our list of safest states for motorcyclists. Iowa also has a relatively small and spread-out population, which helps keep its roadways sane. Visitors on bikes may be especially interested in the state’s 14 scenic byways.

4. Rhode Island: One fatal motorcycle accident per every 2,818 registered motorcycles

Bucking our pattern is the Ocean State, the fourth state on our list. While Rhode Island is 44th in the U.S. by number of people, its small size makes it the fourth most densely populated state. Worth noting is that the fellow New England state of New Hampshire just missed our list at #6, and Massachusetts is #8. Rhode Island’s tourism highlights include the picturesque Narragansett Bay and the historic city of Newport, home to the America’s Cup yacht race.

5. Alaska: One fatal motorcycle accident per every 2,756 registered motorcycles

Last on the list is the state that’s also last on the list in terms of population density: Alaska. Half of the state’s 740,000 residents live in Anchorage, leaving much of its 586,412 square miles of pristine wilds open to explore from the back of a bike. Just be sure you visit in the summer, as much of the state averages daily lows well below 0 in the winter months—not exactly conducive for a ride!

Putting It All Together

So, what do these five states have in common? First, they have relatively small populations, which means that motorcyclists have fewer people to share the road with—and fewer careless drivers to contend with. They also tend to have good infrastructure given their small populations, which reduces the risks of accidents caused by road hazards. Finally, they’re all north of the 40th parallel, which means they have relatively short riding seasons. Motorcyclists in these five states are less likely to be out riding when the weather turns bad.

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