License to ride: Making roads safer for motorcyclists (Move Magazine)
Shift into Safe News
Motorcycles are more than just a mode of transportation. For many riders, they represent freedom, fun, stress relief and camaraderie. They also have practical advantages, such as lower fuel costs and easier parking.
But the stakes are exceptionally high for motorcyclists, who are disproportionately represented in traffic fatalities. While motorcycles make up only 3% of all vehicles, they account for 15.5% of all traffic fatalities and 3.4% of all injuries, according to 2023 data from the National Safety Council. In 2023 alone, a total of 6,335 motorcyclists died in crashes — the highest number ever recorded and a 26% increase since 2019.
“The increase in motorcycle crashes and fatalities highlights an opportunity to reassess and improve our approach,” says Denise Hanchulak, program manager for Driver and Medical Certification Standards at AAMVA. “By reexamining how we do things, we open the door to make meaningful changes. Progress is possible, and together we can make our roads safer for everyone.”
Across North America, AAMVA members are rolling out new efforts to protect riders and reduce fatalities, including through stricter licensing standards, expanded education, broader public awareness campaigns and collaboration with various stakeholders.
Setting Standards and Enhancing Education
In 2017, a U.S. federal assessment revealed troubling motorcycle crash patterns in Washington state: More than half of the fatalities between 2013 and 2017 were single-vehicle crashes, and 40% occurred on a curve. The state also had a challenge with motorcyclists riding without endorsements.
“We saw riders who would perennially ride on a permit, just renewing the permit at the start of the riding season in March or April,” says Robert Willis, motorcycle safety program manager in Washington’s Department of Licensing. “Anecdotally, we also knew that riders were coming in and failing their endorsement test because they didn’t have the necessary skills, and then riding home legally because they still had a valid permit.”
By 2020, Washington had overhauled its motorcycle endorsement system, introducing semi-graduated licensing requirements and more rigorous knowledge tests — in addition to skills tests — at both the permit and endorsement levels. “What will get you an endorsement in the 49 other states will only get a permit in Washington,” Willis says. The permit knowledge test expanded from 25 to 50 questions, and the endorsement test includes 25 scenario-based questions. In addition, new skills tests were introduced, mimicking the conditions found on Washington’s mountain roads. “Because we knew that curves were a major cause of crashes, we built a test around exactly that,” Willis explains. “During the test, our riders have to ride the smallest-radius curve, laid out in a figure eight, at the recommended speed—and then complete a quick stop at city-street speeds. You either pass, or you don’t.”
