The NHTSA’s Traffic Safety Facts: 2023 Data – Bicyclists and Other Cyclists recorded 1,166 cyclist deaths in 2023, up 4% from 1,117 the year before. Cyclists accounted for 2.0% of the 49,989 people killed in traffic crashes nationwide that year. The conditions around these deaths also show that the risk is not limited to intersections or daylight commuting hours. In 2023, 81% of pedalcyclist fatalities occurred in urban areas, 62% happened away from intersections, and 53% occurred in the dark, according to NHTSA.
To identify the states where the most cyclists were killed, Law Offices of Pius Joseph, a personal injury law firm, reviewed NHTSA’s Traffic Safety Facts: 2023 Data – Bicyclists and Other Cyclists. States were ranked by the number of pedalcyclists killed in motor vehicle traffic crashes, with each state’s population-based fatality rate and the share of all state traffic deaths included for additional information.
10. Pennsylvania
Pedalcyclist fatalities: 29
Fatality rate: 0.22 per 100,000 residents
Share of all traffic fatalities: 2.4%
Pennsylvania recorded 29 pedalcyclist deaths out of 1,211 total traffic fatalities in 2023. Its cyclist fatality rate of 0.22 deaths per 100,000 residents was below the national rate of 0.35.
The difference between Pennsylvania’s relatively high raw count and lower population-based rate illustrates an important limitation of comparing fatality totals alone: States with larger populations can record more deaths without necessarily having the highest per-capita rates.
9. Indiana
Pedalcyclist fatalities: 31
Fatality rate: 0.45 per 100,000 residents
Share of all traffic fatalities: 3.5%
Indiana recorded 31 pedalcyclist fatalities in 2023, accounting for 3.5% of the state’s 898 traffic deaths. Unlike Pennsylvania, Indiana’s population-based rate also exceeded the national average. At 0.45 cyclist deaths per 100,000 residents, Indiana’s rate was about 29% higher than the U.S. rate of 0.35.
8. Louisiana
Pedalcyclist fatalities: 35
Fatality rate: 0.77 per 100,000 residents
Share of all traffic fatalities: 4.3%
Louisiana’s 35 cyclist deaths placed it eighth by raw total, but its population-based rate told a more severe story. The state recorded 0.77 pedalcyclist deaths per 100,000 people, more than twice the national rate. Only Florida had a higher cyclist fatality rate among the states in 2023, according to NHTSA. Cyclists also represented 4.3% of Louisiana’s 811 traffic fatalities that year.
7. Illinois
Pedalcyclist fatalities: 41
Fatality rate: 0.33 per 100,000 residents
Share of all traffic fatalities: 3.3%
Illinois recorded 41 pedalcyclist deaths in 2023, or 3.3% of the state’s 1,241 traffic fatalities. Its population-based cyclist fatality rate of 0.33 per 100,000 residents was slightly below the nationwide rate. Illinois is another example of how a state can rank relatively high in total deaths while looking closer to the national norm once population is taken into account.
6. Arizona
Pedalcyclist fatalities: 43
Fatality rate: 0.58 per 100,000 residents
Share of all traffic fatalities: 3.3%
Arizona had 43 pedalcyclist deaths in 2023, the sixth-highest total among states. Cyclists represented 3.3% of the state’s 1,304 traffic fatalities. At 0.58 deaths per 100,000 residents, Arizona’s population-based rate was substantially higher than the national rate. It was also among the highest state rates recorded by NHTSA that year.
5. North Carolina
Pedalcyclist fatalities: 46
Fatality rate: 0.42 per 100,000 residents
Share of all traffic fatalities: 2.9%
North Carolina recorded 46 cyclist deaths in motor vehicle traffic crashes in 2023. Pedalcyclists accounted for 2.9% of the state’s 1,561 traffic fatalities—the same share cyclists represented nationally. North Carolina’s population-based fatality rate was 0.42 per 100,000 residents, however, exceeding the national rate of 0.35.
4. New York
Pedalcyclist fatalities: 49
Fatality rate: 0.25 per 100,000 residents
Share of all traffic fatalities: 4.4%
New York recorded 49 pedalcyclist deaths in 2023, ranking fourth by total fatalities. Cyclists accounted for 4.4% of all traffic deaths in the state, a considerably larger share than the national rate of 2.9%. Yet because of New York’s large population, its fatality rate was 0.25 per 100,000 residents, below the nationwide rate.
3. Texas
Pedalcyclist fatalities: 106
Fatality rate: 0.35 per 100,000 residents
Share of all traffic fatalities: 2.5%
The cyclist death toll crossed into triple digits among the three states with the highest totals. Texas recorded 106 pedalcyclist fatalities in 2023, while 4,291 people were killed in traffic crashes overall. Texas’ population-based cyclist fatality rate was 0.35 per 100,000 people (identical to the national rate), even as the state’s large population contributed to the third-highest raw fatality count.
2. California
Pedalcyclist fatalities: 145
Fatality rate: 0.37 per 100,000 residents
Share of all traffic fatalities: 3.6%
California recorded 145 cyclist deaths in 2023, second only to Florida. Pedalcyclists made up 3.6% of the state’s 4,061 traffic fatalities.
California’s population-based fatality rate of 0.37 per 100,000 residents was only slightly above the national rate. The state nevertheless accounted for more than 12% of all pedalcyclist fatalities recorded nationwide that year.
1. Florida
Pedalcyclist fatalities: 234
Fatality rate: 1.03 per 100,000 residents
Share of all traffic fatalities: 6.9%
Florida stood apart from every other state in both the total number of cyclists killed and its population-based fatality rate.
The state recorded 234 pedalcyclist fatalities in 2023—89 more than California and about one-fifth of all cyclist deaths nationwide. Cyclists represented 6.9% of Florida’s 3,396 traffic fatalities.
Florida’s rate of 1.03 cyclist deaths per 100,000 residents was also the highest in the country and nearly three times the national rate. NHTSA notes that Florida’s substantial seasonal tourism means its resident population does not fully capture the number of people traveling within the state, making population-based comparisons an imperfect measure of actual cycling risk.
Most fatal cyclist crashes happen away from intersections
The state rankings show where cyclist deaths were concentrated, but national crash characteristics offer another view of how those deaths occurred.
In the same 2023 report from NHTSA, 62% of pedalcyclists killed in 2023 died at locations that were not intersections. Another 28% were killed at intersections, while the remainder died in locations including bicycle lanes, shoulders and roadsides, driveway accesses, sidewalks, medians, and parking areas.
More than half of cyclist fatalities occurred in darkness, and the evening hours were particularly prominent. On weekdays, the period from 6 p.m. to 8:59 p.m. accounted for the largest share of cyclist deaths. On weekends, fatalities peaked later, between 9 p.m. and 11:59 p.m.
Vehicle type also played a role in fatal crashes. Of 1,091 pedalcyclists killed in single-vehicle crashes in which the first harmful event was a collision with a cyclist, 557 were struck by light trucks—a category that includes SUVs, pickups, and vans. In 85% of those light-truck crashes, the cyclist was struck by the front of the vehicle.
Federal road-safety policy increasingly looks beyond any single road user’s actions. The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Safe System Approach calls for multiple layers of protection that account for both human mistakes and physical vulnerability. Among the infrastructure measures highlighted by the department, separated bicycle lanes can reduce crashes by up to 49% on certain four-lane and local roads.
The nationwide numbers show substantial variation from one state to another, but they also point to recurring conditions (urban roads, darkness, non-intersection locations, and interactions with larger vehicles) that extend well beyond state lines.
