Governors Highway Safety Association
The States' Voice on Highway Safety

Issue Overview

Motorcyclists are overrepresented in crashes and fatalities. A total of 6,228 motorcyclists were killed on U.S. roads in 2024, down 2.2% from 6,366, which was the most since federal recordkeeping began in 1975. Another 86,887 motorcyclists were injured in crashes – a notable increase of 5.2% from 2023.

  • In states without universal helmet laws, 48% of motorcyclists killed in 2024 were not wearing helmets, as compared to 11% in states with universal helmet laws.
  • Of all motorcyclists involved in fatal crashes in 2024, 25% were alcohol-impaired, defined as having a BAC of .08 or higher.
  • Of all motorcyclists involved in fatal crashes in 2024, 37% were speeding.

All 2024 data is from Traffic Safety Facts 2024 Data: Motorcycles, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. 

States use both national and statewide data to find the right mix of rider education, enforcement and laws to decrease deaths and injuries resulting from motorcycle crashes.

Last updated November 2026.

GHSA Policy

State Laws Overview

In 1967, the federal government required states to enact universal motorcycle helmet laws to qualify for certain highway safety funds. By 1975, all but three had complied. In 1976, Congress revoked federal authority to assess penalties for noncompliance, and states began to weaken helmet laws to apply only to young or novice riders.

Currently, about half the states require helmets for all motorcyclists. Most other states require helmets for certain riders, and a few have no helmet law. GHSA urges all states to adopt a universal motorcycle helmet law and vigorously enforce existing laws.

  • 47 states, D.C., Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands have a helmet law for motorcyclists.
    • 17 states, D.C., the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands have a universal helmet law, requiring helmets for all riders.
    • 29 states and Guam require helmets for specific riders.
  • Illinois, Iowa and New Hampshire are the only states that do not have motorcycle helmet laws.

NOTE: GHSA does not compile any additional data on helmet laws other than what is presented here. For more information, consult the appropriate State Highway Safety Office (SHSO).

Sources: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and SHSOs.

Last updated in May 2024. Last reviewed by SHSOs in June 2025.

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Alaska

Arizona

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California

Colorado

Connecticut

Delaware

District of Columbia

Florida

Related Resources

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Federal Research Projects
Term raw: Federal Research Projects | Slug: federal-research-projects
July 1, 2026

Assessing Traffic Flow and Motorcyclist Safety Outcomes Associated with Lane Filtering (BTS-50)

The objectives of this research are to document the existing state of knowledge regarding the impact safety outcomes associated with motorcycle lane splitting and lane filtering, support the development of standardized, behaviorally grounded definitions, and develop an evidence-based toolkit for use by state highway safety offices, state driver licensing agencies, and state motorcycle safety programs to manage the behavioral and safety complexities of motorcycle lane splitting and filtering.
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