Live to Ride Campaign - Colorado
Maverick - Jun 8, 2010

Motorcycle fatalities in Colorado continue to rise at an alarming rate - nearly 1 in 5 traffic fatalities in 2009 were motorcyclists.  While this information is based on Colorado's experience, the data provides insights into motorcycle fatalities in general. 

CDOT's Office of Transportation Safety and Public Relations oversees programs and public awareness campaigns in an effort to reduce that number and keep Colorado roadways safe.

CDOT's Live to Ride campaign is designed to help motorcyclists of all skill levels ride safely, have fun, and most importantly, stay alive. Live to Ride endorses three primary safety messages: 

Get Training: Lack of training is a factor in Colorado's fatal motorcycle crashes.  Motorcycle riders were found to be at fault in 7 out of 10 fatal crashes.

Ride Sober: Impaired riding is also a major problem. 40% of riders killed in motorcycle crashes in 2009 were under the influence of alcohol.

Wear Proper Protective Gear: Nearly two-thirds of the riders killed in Colorado last year were not wearing a helmet or were wearing it incorrectly.

Just as football players are required to suit up for the big game, or pilots must complete hundreds of hours of training in order to fly solo, riders need to wear protective gear and get proper training to know how to handle their machines. And riding sober, well, that's just common sense.

Colorado’s 2009 Motorcycle Fatalities Fact Sheet

Total Fatalities

88 riders and passengers were killed in motorcycle-related crashes in 2009.

Motorcycle fatalities are down in 2009 by 10.2%, from a record high of 98 fatalities in 2008. This trends with the overall traffic fatalities,which were down14.6%.

Motorcycle fatalities continue to rise in their representation of overall traffic fatalities. In 2009, motorcycles represented 19 % of Colorado’s motor vehicle fatalities, compared to 18 % in 2008.

Motorcycle Registrations

Motorcycle Registrations continue to rise in Colorado, with 174,915 motorcycles registered, a 3% increase from 2008.

2009 Statistics

• Nearly 2/3 were not wearing a helmet
• 40% of motorcycle fatalities involved an operator who had been drinking, up from 34% percent last year
• 33% did not have a motorcycle endorsement on their driver’s license, which is against the law and indicates a lack of motorcycle training
• 84% were male
• 72% of riders were determined to be “at fault”

Fatalities by age group

Those ages 45 to 64 were over represented in 2009 fatalities, making up 50% of all fatalities.

Fatalities by county

• Larimer County recorded the highest number of motorcycle fatalities in 2009, a significant jump in fatalities from just 3 in 2008 to 13 last year.
• El Paso County recorded 11, down from 15 in 2008.
• There were 7 motorcycle fatalities in each of the following counties: Jefferson, Adams, and Arapahoe. Boulder and Weld counties each had 6.
• 60% of fatalities occurred in the riders’ home county.

Fatalities by season

• Summer leads with 55% of fatalities occurring between May and August
• May was highest fatality month with 13
• June and August each had 12
• July and October each had 11
• September had 8

Information and statistics provided by the Colorado Department of Transportation.