South Carolina motorcyclists should be cautious when riding as a new study from Auto Justice Attorney ranked South Carolina the most dangerous roads for motorcyclists.
For its report, the personal injury law firm analyzed U.S. chopper crash data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the U.S. Department of Transportation.
Information on the number of annual motorcycle accidents in each state and the number of registered motorcycles in the country helped create the study’s rankings.
The report found South Carolina had approximately 158 fatal crashes for every 100,000 registered motorcycles — the highest in the country.
In fact, the Palmetto State’s roads yielded a fatal crash rate of 174.5%, which was astronomically larger than the U.S. average of 57.59%.
The study also found that South Carolina motorcyclists experienced more front, right and rear collisions with motor vehicles than in any other state.
While South Carolina’s roadways took home the title of most perilous for motorcyclists, Texas was not far behind with more than 157 deadly collisions for every 100,000 motorcycles.
The next three most unsafe for two-wheelers were North Carolina (more than 124 fatal crashes per 100,000 motorbikes), Missouri (more than 119 per 100,000) and Mississippi (over 116 per 100,000) to round out the top five.
The five states with the safest roads for motorcyclists were Montana (just under seven deadly collisions per 100,000 motorcycles), South Dakota (over 10 per 100,000), North Dakota (more than 21 per 100,000), Arkansas (over 23 per 100,000) and New York (more than 23 per 100,000).
“Motorcycle safety isn’t just a concern for riders, it’s a shared responsibility for everyone on the road,” said Michael T. Gibson, Auto Justice Attorney. “This data underscores definitive areas and situations where the risk is considerably elevated. It’s crucial that we, as a society, address these areas of concern not just with heightened awareness but also with tangible actions.”
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