Motorcycle deaths at lowest rate

Government accident statistics have shown a 9% drop in motorcycle fatalities in 2012 which are the lowest on record.

The data for 2012 has just been officially compiled by the Department for Transport and announced as part of the 2012 annual report and represents the last full year of accident data. In total there were 195,723 casualties of all severities on UK roads for all road users with 1754 people killed on UK roads.

Motorcycle fatalities were the lowest on record with 328 people killed in 2012 which is 9% down on 2011 and this was despite a tiny 2% drop in motorcycle mileage. Such a low drop in motorcycle miles travelled was recorded despite one of the coldest winters on record and the wettest summer for many years.

A worrying statistic for all road users is the surge in deaths because of drink driving which saw 280 people killed in 2012; an increase of 17% over the previous year.
Men aged between 35 and 55 riding bikes over 125cc on rural roads remains the most likely scenario for an accident and account for two thirds of all motorcycle crashes; the vast majority of which were single vehicle crashes.