US Bicycle Safety Statistics: 2024 Crash Data
Last reviewed
NHTSA reports 1,103 pedalcyclist deaths and an estimated 52,887 pedalcyclists injured in US motor vehicle traffic crashes in 2024. The source is Bicyclists and Other Cyclists: 2024 Data, DOT HS 813 822, published July 2026. The injury number is an estimate; the fatality number is a recorded count in that release.
These are not totals for every bicycle fall, trail incident or emergency-department visit. The report's opening definition limits the fact sheet to crashes involving motor vehicles in-transport. It also includes motorized bicycles in the pedalcyclist category beginning in 2022. Those boundaries are essential to any comparison.
Verified 2024 bicycle traffic-crash figures
All figures in this table are NHTSA's published 2024 values. The US Department of Transportation archive provides the report identity, publication date and key findings; the page links below identify the relevant parts of the full report.
| Measure | Published figure | Definition and source |
|---|---|---|
| Pedalcyclists killed | 1,103 | Recorded fatalities; Table 1, page 2 |
| Pedalcyclists injured | Estimated 52,887 | Injury estimate, not a census of injuries; Table 1, page 2 |
| Share of all traffic fatalities | 2.8% | Pedalcyclist deaths divided by all traffic deaths; Table 1, page 2 |
| Share of all people injured in traffic crashes | 2.2% | Pedalcyclist injuries as a share of all traffic injuries; Table 1, page 2 |
| Fatalities in urban areas | 81% | Share of pedalcyclist fatalities, not urban riders; Key findings, page 1 |
| Fatalities at intersections | 30% | Share of pedalcyclist fatalities; Key findings, page 2 |
The urban and intersection percentages are separate descriptions. They are not mutually exclusive slices to add together. A fatality can occur at an urban intersection. Neither percentage establishes the risk of a particular road without information about cycling exposure and the conditions on that road.
Deaths fell while estimated injuries rose
In the same release, NHTSA reports a 6% decrease in pedalcyclist fatalities from 2023 to 2024 and a 6% increase in estimated injuries. These percentages are NHTSA's rounded comparisons, not a BikeSize forecast. Source: Overview and Table 1, page 2.
| Measure | 2023 | 2024 | Reported change and source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pedalcyclist fatalities | 1,173 | 1,103 | Down 6%; NHTSA Table 1 |
| Estimated pedalcyclist injuries | 49,989 | 52,887 | Up 6%; NHTSA Table 1 |
A falling fatality count does not, by itself, show that each ride became safer. Nor does the injury estimate identify why injuries changed. The table does not adjust either count for rides, miles traveled, time spent cycling or changes in the mix of riders.
Use values from a consistent release. NHTSA notes that the 2023 final pedalcyclist fatality count is 1,173, revised from the earlier Annual Report File count of 1,166. The 2024 count in this fact sheet is from the Annual Report File and may be revised on finalization. Source: FARS explanation, page 13.
What counts as a traffic crash here?
NHTSA defines a motor vehicle traffic crash as involving at least one motor vehicle in-transport and originating on, or having a harmful event on, a public trafficway. Some private-property incidents are excluded. The fact sheet therefore does not count every cycling incident merely because a person was injured. Source: definitions, page 2.
Fatality data come from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS). To qualify for FARS, the crash must result in a death within 30 days. Injury estimates draw on the Crash Report Sampling System (CRSS), which samples police-reported traffic crashes. Source: FARS and CRSS notes, page 13. An emergency-department dataset asks a different question and can have a different case definition.
The motorized-bicycle change matters
Before 2022, NHTSA classified motorized bicycles as motor vehicles under motorcycles in FARS and CRSS. Beginning in 2022, their riders are captured as pedalcyclists when involved in a motor vehicle traffic crash. Crashes involving only motorized bicycles are no longer captured in those systems. Source: Important Change for Motorized Bicycles, page 1.
This change complicates a trend line that crosses 2022. Do not describe the 2024 total as exclusively conventional pedal-bike riders or compare it with an older total without acknowledging the category change. The fact sheet's headline total also does not provide a separate national e-bike fatality figure.
The CDC bicycle safety overview, dated August 2025, uses its own stated definitions and cites older traffic data. Its e-bicycle classification note is not the definition of NHTSA's 2024 fact sheet. We use CDC below for safety guidance, not to merge unlike injury totals into one "all bicycle injuries" statistic.
Counts and population rates are not per-ride risk
A share of traffic deaths has all traffic deaths as its denominator. A rate per population has people as its denominator. Neither is a probability of death on your next bike ride. NHTSA's age-and-sex table explicitly reports rates per 100,000 population, not per 100,000 rides. Source: Table 2, page 3.
Do not divide these fatalities by the 112 million participants in the PeopleForBikes study to create a personal risk estimate. The participation article covers people ages 3 and older who reportedly rode at least once, while NHTSA covers defined traffic-crash cases. Different populations, exposure measures and collection methods prevent that shortcut from answering a per-trip risk question.
What the evidence supports doing
CDC identifies properly fitted bicycle helmets, roadway engineering measures, lower speed limits and Safe Routes to School programs as interventions to reduce injuries or fatalities. It says helmets reduce head and brain injury risk when a crash occurs. Source: CDC: effective interventions. That is not a claim that helmets prevent every collision.
For an individual rider, use our helmet fit checker alongside the helmet maker's instructions, and consult the helmet inspection guide. NHTSA also recommends visibility measures, obeying road rules and checking applicable local laws in its safety reminders on page 13. These recommendations should not be confused with a numerical guarantee of safety.
The pre-ride inspection checklist and bike fit checklist address practical bike checks. This report does not quantify how many crashes those checks prevent or how many fatalities involve an incorrectly sized bicycle. Our separate manufacturer geometry comparison makes no such causal claim either.
Frequently Asked Questions
Sources and revision notes
- National Center for Statistics and Analysis, Bicyclists and Other Cyclists: 2024 Data, Traffic Safety Facts, DOT HS 813 822, July 2026. Full primary-source report: definitions and findings, pages 1 to 2; population rates, page 3; safety and data-system notes, page 13.
- CDC, Bicycle Safety, August 2025: safety interventions and references. Its statistics and classifications are not substituted for NHTSA's 2024 figures.
Checked November 8, 2026. This is 2024 crash data published in 2026, not a measurement of 2026 crashes. On review, check for revised FARS counts and new fact sheets, preserve the case definitions, and label injury figures as estimates.
