The Bicyclists and Other Cyclists, 2024 Data, Traffic Safety Facts recorded 1,103 cyclist deaths in 2024, down 6% from 1,173 the year before. Cyclists accounted for 2.8% of the 39,254 people killed in traffic crashes nationwide that year. The circumstances surrounding these deaths also show that the risk is not limited to intersections or to daylight commuting hours. In 2024, 81% of pedalcyclist fatalities occurred in urban areas, 60% happened away from intersections and 52% 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: 2024 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.
Pedalcyclist fatalities: 24
Fatality rate: 0.21 per 100,000 residents
Share of all traffic fatalities: 1.7%
Georgia recorded 24 pedalcyclist fatalities in 2024, the same total as Ohio and Virginia. Cyclists represented 1.7% of Georgia's 1,403 traffic deaths that year. Its fatality rate of 0.21 per 100,000 residents was roughly two-thirds of the national rate of 0.32.
Pedalcyclist fatalities: 25
Fatality rate: 0.26 per 100,000 residents
Share of all traffic fatalities: 3.7%
With 25 pedalcyclist deaths in 2024, New Jersey fell just below Michigan's 29 in the countdown. Its population-based fatality rate of 0.26 per 100,000 residents was below the national rate of 0.32, while cyclists made up 3.7% of the state's 670 traffic fatalities.
Pedalcyclist fatalities: 29
Fatality rate: 0.29 per 100,000 residents
Share of all traffic fatalities: 2.6%
Michigan recorded 29 pedalcyclist deaths out of 1,098 total traffic fatalities in 2024. Its cyclist fatality rate of 0.29 deaths per 100,000 residents was below the national rate of 0.32.
The difference between Michigan'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.
Pedalcyclist fatalities: 34
Fatality rate: 0.62 per 100,000 residents
Share of all traffic fatalities: 3.3%
South Carolina recorded 34 pedalcyclist fatalities in 2024, accounting for 3.3% of the state's 1,038 traffic deaths. Unlike Michigan, South Carolina's population-based rate also exceeded the national average. At 0.62 cyclist deaths per 100,000 residents, South Carolina's rate was about 94% higher than the U.S. rate of 0.32.
Pedalcyclist fatalities: 37
Fatality rate: 0.29 per 100,000 residents
Share of all traffic fatalities: 3.1%
Illinois recorded 37 pedalcyclist deaths in 2024, or 3.1% of the state's 1,177 traffic fatalities. Its population-based cyclist fatality rate of 0.29 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.
Pedalcyclist fatalities: 44
Fatality rate: 0.40 per 100,000 residents
Share of all traffic fatalities: 2.7%
North Carolina recorded 44 cyclist deaths in motor vehicle traffic crashes in 2024. Pedalcyclists accounted for 2.7% of the state's 1,619 traffic fatalities — slightly below the 2.8% share cyclists represented nationally. North Carolina's population-based fatality rate was 0.40 per 100,000 residents, however, exceeding the national rate of 0.32.
Pedalcyclist fatalities: 44
Fatality rate: 0.96 per 100,000 residents
Share of all traffic fatalities: 5.9%
Louisiana's 44 cyclist deaths placed it in a three-way tie for fifth by raw total, but its population-based rate told a more severe story. The state recorded 0.96 pedalcyclist deaths per 100,000 people, three times the national rate. Louisiana had the highest cyclist fatality rate among the states in 2024, according to NHTSA. Cyclists also represented 5.9% of Louisiana's 752 traffic fatalities that year.
Pedalcyclist fatalities: 44
Fatality rate: 0.58 per 100,000 residents
Share of all traffic fatalities: 3.6%
Arizona had 44 pedalcyclist deaths in 2024, tied with Louisiana and North Carolina for the fifth-highest total among states. Cyclists represented 3.6% of the state's 1,229 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.
Pedalcyclist fatalities: 47
Fatality rate: 0.24 per 100,000 residents
Share of all traffic fatalities: 4.3%
New York recorded 47 pedalcyclist deaths in 2024, ranking fourth by total fatalities. Cyclists accounted for 4.3% of all traffic deaths in the state, considerably higher than the 2.8% share nationally. Yet because of New York's large population, its fatality rate was 0.24 per 100,000 residents, below the nationwide rate.
Pedalcyclist fatalities: 79
Fatality rate: 0.25 per 100,000 residents
Share of all traffic fatalities: 1.9%
The cyclist death toll was below triple digits in the state with the third-highest total. Texas recorded 79 pedalcyclist fatalities in 2024, while 4,160 people were killed in traffic crashes overall. Texas' population-based cyclist fatality rate was 0.25 per 100,000 people (below the national rate of 0.32), even as the state's large population contributed to the third-highest raw fatality count.
Pedalcyclist fatalities: 163
Fatality rate: 0.41 per 100,000 residents
Share of all traffic fatalities: 4.2%
California recorded 163 cyclist deaths in 2024, second only to Florida. Pedalcyclists made up 4.2% of the state's 3,876 traffic fatalities.
California's population-based fatality rate of 0.41 per 100,000 residents was above the national rate. The state nevertheless accounted for more than 14% of all pedalcyclist fatalities recorded nationwide that year.
Pedalcyclist fatalities: 208
Fatality rate: 0.89 per 100,000 residents
Share of all traffic fatalities: 6.6%
Florida stood apart from every other state in the total number of cyclists killed and had the second-highest population-based fatality rate.
The state recorded 208 pedalcyclist fatalities in 2024, 45 more than California and about one-fifth of all cyclist deaths nationwide. Cyclists represented 6.6% of Florida's 3,138 traffic fatalities.
Florida's rate of 0.89 cyclist deaths per 100,000 residents was the second-highest in the country and nearly three times the national rate. Population-based comparisons remain an imperfect measure of actual cycling risk because resident populations do not fully capture the number of people traveling within a state.
The state rankings show where cyclist deaths were concentrated, but national crash characteristics offer another view of how those deaths occurred.
In the same 2024 report from NHTSA, 60% of pedalcyclists killed in 2024 died at locations that were not intersections. Another 30% were killed at intersections, while 9% died in other 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, deaths also peaked between 6 p.m. and 8:59 p.m.
Vehicle type also played a role in fatal crashes. Of 1,035 pedalcyclists killed in single-vehicle crashes in which the first harmful event was a collision with a cyclist, 552 were struck by light trucks — a category that includes SUVs, pickups and vans. In 89% 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 Federal Highway Administration adding bicycle lanes can reduce total crashes by up to 49% on urban four-lane undivided collectors 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.
This story was produced by Law Offices of Pius Joseph and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
