How Many Motorcyclists Die on UK Roads Each Year?

Quick answer: In 2025, 386 motorcyclists were killed on roads in Great Britain, up 14% on 340 in 2024. Motorcyclists accounted for 25% of all road deaths while making up only about 1% of traffic. Overall, 1,538 people died on roads in Great Britain in 2025, down 4% on 2024.

The headline numbers for 2025

The Department for Transport (DfT) recorded 386 motorcyclist deaths in Great Britain in 2025, alongside 5,710 seriously injured and 9,351 slightly injured riders. Total motorcyclist casualties were 15,447, of which 6,096 were killed or seriously injured (KSI). Motorcyclist deaths rose for a second consecutive year, even as total road deaths fell.

The wider picture in 2025:

• 1,538 people killed on the roads, down 4% from 1,602 in 2024
• 29,918 killed or seriously injured, up 4% on the adjusted 2024 figure of 28,876
• 127,883 casualties of all severities, little changed from 128,272 in 2024
• 4 road deaths per billion vehicle miles travelled

Motorcyclists were the only one of the four main road user groups whose deaths rose sharply in 2025. Car occupant deaths fell to 629, pedestrian deaths to 364, and pedal cyclist deaths to 79.

A rising toll against a falling total

Motorcyclist deaths have moved against the national trend for two years. The DfT's motorcyclist factsheet gives the following final figures:

• 2015: 365 motorcyclists killed
• 2019: 336 motorcyclists killed
• 2021: 310 motorcyclists killed
• 2023: 315 motorcyclists killed
• 2024: 340 motorcyclists killed
• 2025: 386 motorcyclists killed

Deaths rose 8% in 2024 and 14% in 2025, while motorcycle traffic grew only 2% in 2025. The DfT cautions that year-to-year numbers can fluctuate.

The longer view is more encouraging: deaths are 34% below the 2004 level of 585, serious injuries are 31% lower, and motorcycle traffic is 4% lower than in 2004. Note that the provisional 2025 totals (1,556 deaths, 384 motorcyclists) were revised to the final 1,538 and 386 used here.

Why riding carries outsized risk

Riders are not protected by a vehicle body, are harder for drivers to see, and are exposed to the full force of a collision. The numbers show how far that exposure goes:

• Motorcyclists made up 25% of road deaths in 2025 from about 1% of traffic
• 39% of motorcyclist casualties were killed or seriously injured, compared with 17% of car occupant casualties
• The motorcyclist death rate was 128 per billion vehicle miles in 2025, against 115 in 2024 and 186 in 2004
• The overall motorcyclist casualty rate per mile has fallen 37% since 2004, and the fatality rate 31%

In other words, riding has become safer per mile over two decades, but it remains far riskier per mile than driving. Averaged over 2021 to 2025, 7 motorcyclists died and 104 were seriously injured every week, and men accounted for 92% of motorcyclist KSI casualties.

When, where and how fatal crashes happen

The DfT's 2021 to 2025 analysis shows clear patterns:

• 70% of motorcycle deaths occurred on rural roads, although rural roads carry only 38% of motorcycle traffic
• 62% of deaths happened away from junctions (not at or within 20 metres of a junction), compared with 48% of serious injuries
• 37% of deaths occurred in two-vehicle collisions between a motorcycle and a car
• Collisions with a heavy goods vehicle had the highest fatal share of any collision type, at 9.8%
• Weekday KSI casualties peaked in the morning rush (7 a.m. to 10 a.m.) and the evening rush (4 p.m. to 7 p.m.), while weekend casualties peaked in a single early-afternoon window (noon to 4 p.m.)

The rural share is the most striking pattern: higher speeds leave less margin for error, and a collision at rural speeds is far more likely to be fatal.

The most common factor in fatal or serious collisions in 2024 to 2025 was ineffective observation, recorded for 41% of motorcyclists and 63% of the other vehicles involved. Exceeding the speed limit was recorded for 26% of motorcyclists but only 5% of other vehicles, and travelling too fast for conditions for 20% of motorcyclists against 3% of others. Being seen, and riding at a speed that leaves room to react, are the two themes that run through the factor data.

What the figures mean for riders and drivers

The figures point to where attention pays off. For riders: ride at a speed that fits the road, expect other road users not to have seen you, and treat rural roads with particular care. For drivers: look twice at junctions and when turning across traffic, and check mirrors and blind spots for motorcycles before changing lanes.

For policymakers, the contrast between falling total deaths and rising rider deaths is the central challenge: total deaths are close to their lowest level outside the pandemic, yet motorcyclists now account for a quarter of them.

See how Britain's overall toll compares with the United States in US vs UK Roads: Why Americans Die at 4x the Rate, explore local figures on our UK road accidents page, or follow live reports on the Live Accident Tracker homepage.

How these numbers were counted

These figures come from the DfT's Reported road casualties Great Britain, final results: 2025. They cover Great Britain only (England, Scotland and Wales). Northern Ireland reports separately and is not included.

The statistics are based on police-reported collisions recorded through the STATS19 system. A death counts as a road death if the person dies within 30 days of the collision. Serious and slight injury figures are adjusted to account for changes in how police forces record injury severity.