Youth motorcycle fatalities climb 18.4% while national toll drops
National motorcycle fatalities declined in 2024, yet deaths among riders younger than 25 increased 18.4 percent according to an analysis released by Blakeley Law. The firm noted that the improvement in the overall total masked a sharp reversal among the youngest riders.
Federal records cited in the release show total motorcyclist deaths fell from 6,366 in 2023 to 6,228 in 2024. At the same time the under-25 toll rose from 1,135 to 1,344.
Motorcyclists younger than 25 accounted for 21.6 percent of fatalities in 2024, up from 17.8 percent the prior year. Deaths among children younger than 15 more than doubled from 14 to 30. Under-25 fatalities rose by 103 on weekdays and 106 on weekends as defined by NHTSA. Among riders aged 15 to 20 in fatal crashes, 56 percent were recorded as speeding. Invalid motorcycle licensing affected 42.2 percent of riders aged 25 to 34 in fatal crashes.
Motorcycle fatalities by age group showed contrasting movements. The 15-20 group rose from 508 to 609 deaths, a 19.9 percent increase. The 21-24 group rose from 613 to 705 deaths, a 15.0 percent increase. The 25-29 group fell from 767 to 706 deaths, an 8.0 percent decline. The 40-64 group fell from 2,561 to 2,259 deaths, an 11.8 percent decline. The 65 and older group rose from 626 to 637 deaths, a 1.8 percent increase.
Motorcycle type data revealed a clear age split in the fatalities recorded. Supersport models accounted for 1,302 driver deaths, of which 59 percent involved riders under 30 and 5 percent involved riders aged 50 and older. Sport or unclad sport models accounted for 916 deaths, 55 percent under 30 and 10 percent aged 50 and older. Cruiser or standard models accounted for 1,646 deaths, 19 percent under 30 and 43 percent aged 50 and older. Touring models accounted for 1,155 deaths, 7 percent under 30 and 57 percent aged 50 and older. These figures describe the age distribution of deaths rather than risk per registered motorcycle or mile traveled.
IIHS data placed the recent rise among younger riders against a long-term demographic shift. Motorcyclists younger than 30 accounted for 80 percent of motorcycle deaths in 1975 compared with 33 percent in 2024. The proportion involving riders aged 50 or older rose from 3 percent to 31 percent over the same span. IIHS recorded 1,968 fatally injured motorcycle drivers younger than 30 in 2024 and 1,844 deaths among drivers aged 50 or older. A single year reversal does not establish a lasting trend.
The under-25 increase added 209 deaths and partially offset a reduction of 346 deaths among riders aged 25 and older. Speeding involvement among riders aged 15-20 in fatal crashes rose from 51 percent in 2023 to 56 percent in 2024. Among riders aged 21-24 the speeding share fell from 55 percent to 52 percent even as fatalities in that group increased. For riders aged 15-20, weekday fatalities rose from 293 to 353 while weekend fatalities rose from 215 to 256.
The data do not establish causation. Age-specific motorcycle ownership, trip frequency and mileage data would be required to determine whether individual riding risk increased.
NHTSA's July 2026 motorcycle safety report and IIHS's June 2026 findings supply recently published evidence of the demographic divergence. The age-specific results raise immediate questions for motorcycle training, rider education and traffic safety reporting.
