Facts and figures and safety reminders about motor vehicle accidents involving motorcycles. In 2012, 4,957 motorcyclists were killed in motor vehicle traffic crashes—an increase of 7 percent from the 4,630 motorcyclists killed in 2011. There were 93,000 motorcyclists injured during 2012, a 15-percent increase from 81,000 in 2011. The following definitions apply to terms used throughout this fact sheet: The motorcycle rider is the person operating the motorcycle; the passenger is a person seated on, but not operating, the motorcycle; the motorcyclist is a general term referring to either the rider or passenger. NHTSA publications prior to 2007 may not reflect this […]