Motorcyclists have an 86-times higher serious-casualty rate than car users in NI travel data

A stark statistic in Northern Ireland's latest road-safety data shows how exposed motorcyclists remain when serious casualties are measured against distance travelled.

In 2025, the Department for Infrastructure reported a rate of 344 motorcyclist killed-or-seriously-injured casualties per 100 million kilometres travelled by motorcycle. For car and van users, the comparable rate was 4 per 100 million kilometres.

Dividing 344 by 4 gives an exposure-rate difference of 86 times.

That does not mean every individual motorcyclist is personally 86 times more likely to be killed or seriously injured on every journey. It is a population-level rate that relates recorded KSIs to estimated travel distance for each road-user group. But it does demonstrate the very large difference in serious-casualty exposure between motorcycles and enclosed cars and vans.

How motorcycles compare with other road users

DfI's 2025 Road Safety Strategy indicators put car users at the lowest KSI rate of the main groups listed. Motorcyclists had the highest.

The published rates were:

• Motorcyclists: 344 KSIs per 100 million kilometres travelled
• Pedal cyclists: 63 per 100 million kilometres cycled
• Pedestrians: 41 per 100 million kilometres walked
• Car/van users: 4 per 100 million kilometres travelled

The rate approach matters because simply counting casualties can be misleading when one group travels vastly more total kilometres than another.

A separate 2020-2024 study shows the scale of motorcycle casualties

DfI published a dedicated motorcycle KSI profile in May 2026 using PSNI collision data from 2020 to 2024.

Across those five years, 566 motorcyclists were killed or seriously injured on Northern Ireland roads. They represented 13% of all road users killed or seriously injured even though motorcycles account for a much smaller share of overall travel than cars.

There were also 23 pillion passengers killed or seriously injured during the same period.

2024 was the highest motorcyclist KSI total since 2009

The dedicated DfI profile recorded 133 motorcyclist KSIs in 2024, 15% more than the previous year and the highest annual figure since 2009.

Looking at five-year periods, motorcycle-user KSIs increased from 496 in the 2014-2018 strategy baseline to 589 in 2020-2024, a rise of 19%.

The report also notes that the number of licensed motorcycles has risen since a five-year low recorded for 2015-2019, so changes in exposure are relevant when interpreting casualty counts.

Most motorcyclist KSIs were men

Of the 566 motorcyclists killed or seriously injured between 2020 and 2024, 539 were male and 26 female, with one other or unknown in the underlying total. That means around 95% were male.

DfI notes this is substantially higher than the male share of KSI casualties across all road users.

More than half of motorcycle KSI collisions were attributed to the rider

The 2020-2024 profile says motorcyclists were considered responsible for just over half, 52%, of the collisions in which they became KSI casualties.

That also means nearly half were attributed to other factors or road users. It would therefore be wrong to frame motorcycle casualties as purely a rider-behaviour issue or purely an 'other drivers not looking' issue. The official evidence points to responsibility on both sides.

One quarter involved a single vehicle

25% of motorcyclist KSI casualties were associated with single-vehicle collisions in the 2020-2024 profile.

Single-vehicle motorcycle crashes can involve loss of control, road geometry, surface conditions, speed, braking or other factors. The profile's headline statistics do not justify assuming one universal cause, but the figure shows that motorcycle safety is not only about interactions with cars at junctions.

Rural roads account for most motorcycle fatalities

Just over half, 51%, of motorcyclist KSIs occurred on rural roads. The rural share was even higher for fatal casualties: 65% of motorcyclist fatalities occurred on rural roads during the 2020-2024 period.

This broadly mirrors the wider Northern Ireland pattern in which rural roads account for a disproportionate share of fatal collisions.

Saturday was the peak day

Motorcyclist KSIs were most likely to occur on a Saturday. Of the 566 motorcyclist KSIs recorded from 2020 to 2024, 107, or 19%, occurred on Saturdays. Thursday had the fewest at 54, or 10%.

The data does not establish that the day itself causes extra risk. Weekend riding patterns, traffic mix, journey purpose and mileage can all influence exposure.

Newry, Mourne and Down had the highest population-based rate

The DfI motorcycle profile found that Newry, Mourne and Down had the highest motorcyclist KSI rate by resident population at 41.5 per 100,000. Mid Ulster had the lowest at 19.0.

Population rates are not the same as distance-travelled rates. They answer a different question and should not be used to claim that every road in one council area is more dangerous than every road in another.

Why motorcycle injuries are more severe

Motorcycles do not offer the enclosed structure, seat belts, airbags and crumple zones available to occupants of modern cars. When a collision occurs, the rider is more directly exposed to impact.

The DfI profile reinforces this through another measure: 41% of motorcycle-user casualties were killed or seriously injured, compared with 12% of casualties across all road users.

What riders can do

Northern Ireland's official safe-motorcycling guidance tells riders to think ahead, extend their view, expect vehicles to emerge from junctions and driveways, choose a road position that maximises visibility and remember that speed increases the severity of a crash.

The Highway Code also requires an approved, securely fastened helmet and advises strong boots, gloves and suitable protective clothing. Riders are encouraged to make themselves visible and to assume that a driver looking in their direction may still not have properly seen or judged the motorcycle.

What car drivers can do

The motorcycle data is not only a message for riders. Drivers should deliberately check for motorcycles at junctions, when changing lanes, when emerging from side roads and before turning across oncoming traffic.

Motorcycles can be harder to judge for distance and speed because of their narrow visual profile. A second look can be valuable, particularly in good weather and at weekends when motorcycle traffic may be higher.

The correct way to read the '86 times' figure

PureCar is using the 86-times figure only as a comparison between two official KSI-per-distance rates: 344 for motorcycles divided by 4 for cars and vans.

It is not a statement that a named rider has an 86-times chance of a crash. Personal risk depends on many factors including mileage, roads used, training, speed, weather, protective equipment, experience and the behaviour of surrounding road users.

What the data does show beyond doubt is that when travel exposure is taken into account, motorcycling carries a much higher serious-casualty rate than travelling in a car or van in Northern Ireland.

Frequently asked questions

What does KSI mean?

KSI means killed or seriously injured.

Where does the 86-times figure come from?

DfI reported 344 motorcycle KSIs per 100 million kilometres travelled and 4 car/van-user KSIs per 100 million kilometres. 344 divided by 4 equals 86.

Does the figure prove motorcycles are 86 times more dangerous for every rider?

No. It is a population exposure rate, not an individual probability. It is useful for comparing road-user groups, but individual risk varies.