SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — As an expected 400,00 plus attendees are at the annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally over the next 10 days, here’s some advice from the state: If you are a less experienced rider in the group, stay behind the leader.
August is a busy month for motorcycle crashes with injuries and fatalities in South Dakota, and for the U.S.
The South Dakota Department of Public Safety say summer and the rally make its work even more important, said Robert Weinmeister, the Director of the South Dakota Office of Highway Safety and Accident Records.
In 2024, the DPS/Highway Patrol said from Aug. 3 through Aug. 10, there were three fatalities in three crashes at the rally. But, the DPS also said that in a roughly two-week period that included the 10-day rally, there were 12 fatalities from motorcycle crashes in the state.
The state patrol reported 64 injury crashes through Aug. 11 for the 2024 rally.
The DPS has a ridesafesd.com website with information on crashes and motorcycle safety. One of the features of the online page is “Get Rally Ready.” This feature is designed to help educate riders about riding in the Black Hills area, Weinmeister said. The feature includes maps and advice on riding.
The website can also help riders find routes that match their skill level.
“It is a concern,” Weinmeister said of riders who may travel to the rally with less experience on the roads, including the curves and features of roads in the Black Hills.
The data from the 2023 and 2022 post rally summits shows that 21% of the attendees were from in-state in 2023 and 13.1% in 2022.
“…inexperienced drivers, with all that traffic out there, especially during the rally,” Weinmeister said of one of the challenges for motorcycle safety in the Black Hills area.
The website also has a quiz on riding skills and maps of routes.
Weinmeister said the DPS also does safety education on Sturgis area media, billboards and messenger signs.
DPS also advises riders, new or less experienced in the Black Hills, to talk with locals and more experienced riders, Weinmeister said.
Outside of the rally, motorcyclists will be on other South Dakota roads in August and into fall.
The state had 28 fatal motorcycle crashes in 2023, according the DPS. Twenty-nine people died in those crashes. Another 403 people were injured in the 333 motorcycle injury crashes. From 2003 through 2023, the most fatal crashes was 30 in 2015.
Similar to motor vehicle crashes, impaired drivers and speeding are factors in fatal and injury motorcycle crashes.
In 2023, motorcycle drivers from 25 to 34 accounted for 18% of all fatal crashes and made up 15% of all licensed drivers. In these crashes, 26% of the drivers had been drinking. Twenty-four percent had been speeding.
Although drivers over 35 may be involved in more fatal and injury crashes, they account for a much greater share of licensed drivers. Drivers under 25 in 2023, represented 15% of licensed drivers but 27% of the drinking drivers in fatal and injury crashes. They accounted for 39% of those speeding in fatal and injury crashes.
The National Safety Council said 73.8% of all drivers and passengers in U.S. crashes wore helmets in 2023. Motorcycle helmets are estimated to be 37% effective in preventing fatal injuries to drivers and 41% effective for passengers,the NSC said.
The DPS said that in 2022, 61% of all riders killed in motorcycle crashes were not wearing helmets.
Drivers over 45 made up about 54% of all licensed South Dakota motorcycle drivers in 2023. The average age of a Sturgis Rally attendee has hovered around 50 for the past several years.
In 2023, 48% of drivers 45 and older in a crash wore helmets, but 52% did not. The number of helmet wearers was also higher for drivers under 35 who were in crashes. Drivers from 14 to 24 had more than 50% wearing helmets in crashes. But it drops significantly for drivers 35-44 (39%).
Helmets were used by 204 drivers (48.3%) of the motorcycle drivers in crashes, while 218 drivers (52.7%) did not wear a helmet, the DPS said of 2023 data.
