Over 63,750 traffic accidents were reported in Minnesota during 2021. These crashes involved over 134,900 people and 115,550 motor vehicles. The number of accidents increased by 12 percent from 2020. Over 54,260 cars and over 1,100 motorcycles were involved in accidents. During 2021, motorcyclists in Minnesota were nearly 3 times more likely to be injured and over 13 times more likely to die than someone in a car. Minnesota recorded 451 fatal crashes in 2021.
Car crashes in Minnesota
There were more than 250 fatal crashes involving passenger cars in Minnesota during 2021. There were over 4.6 fatal accidents per 1,000 passenger car crashes during 2021. Nearly 15,000 accidents resulted in injury, accounting for 27 percent of all passenger crashes. More than 39,000 car accidents caused property damage, accounting for over 72 percent of all passenger car crashes. During 2021, many of Minnesota’s crashes occurred on state and county highways.
Motorcycle crashes in Minnesota
There were 71 motorcycle crashes in Minnesota during 2021. There were more than 62 fatal crashes per 1,000 motorcycle accidents in 2021. The fatality rate for motorcycles was 13 times higher than passenger cars. The injury rate for motorcycle accidents exceeds 80 percent, nearly 3 times higher than passenger cars. Out of 1,140 motorcycle accidents recorded in 2021, 914 resulted in injury. Less than 20 percent of the motorcycle crashes resulted in property damage.
More than 24,000 were injured and over 480 died from traffic crashes in Minnesota during 2021. According to the Department of Public Safety, many of Minnesota’s traffic accidents may be attributed to behavioral factors, vehicular issues, roadway factors or environmental factors. A third of all accidents were a single-car crash car and over 40,000 involved another vehicle in transport.