TAMPA, Fla. – A new study has identified Tampa, Florida, as the most dangerous major U.S. city for motorcyclists and bicyclists, based on the percentage of fatal accidents involving someone on two wheels.
The study, conducted by Ohio personal injury lawyer John Fitch, analyzed National Highway Traffic Safety Administration crash data from 2018 to 2022, focusing specifically on deadly collisions involving motorcyclists and bicyclists.
In Tampa, 12.17% of all fatal crashes involved motorcyclists or pedalcyclists, amounting to 37 specific incidents over five years, out of the total 304 deadly collisions in the city.
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This percentage is the highest recorded among the 49 cities where at least 200 fatal crashes occurred over the five-year period that was analyzed.
Baton Rouge follows with 29 fatal two-wheeler crashes, accounting for 10.94% of its 265 total fatal incidents. Another Louisiana city is in third place, with New Orleans recording 27 deadly crashes involving a motorcycle or bicycle out of 262 in total, which equates to 10.31%.
San Jose in California reports 32 fatal crashes involving motorcyclists and bicyclists, which represents 9.61% of all its deadly collisions, of which there were 333 in total between 2018 and 2022.
New York City has seen the highest number of fatal two-wheeler crashes (45) in the top ten, but with 493 deadly vehicle crashes overall, shows the fifth highest percentage in the ranking, at 9.13%.
In Miami, out of 302 deadly crashes, there were 26 that involved a two-wheeled vehicle, making up 8.61% of the total fatal accidents.
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The top ten is rounded out by Portland in seventh place (8.3% of crashes involved a motorcycle or bicycle), Sacramento in eighth (8.24%), Fort Lauderdale in ninth (8.21%), and Tucson in tenth (8.06%).
A spokesperson for John Fitch commented on the findings: “Road users on two wheels are naturally more exposed to danger than those in cars, and this data shows the major cities where danger appears to be at its highest for those on bikes and motorcycles. Three Florida cities feature in the top ten, along with two in Louisiana, but no matter where you are, it’s essential for all road users to be aware of risks that they face, and the dangers they pose.”
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