WEST JORDAN — After seeing the highest fatality rate for motorcycle-related accidents since 1994, the Utah Department of Public Safety urges bikers to take rider safety courses and get state-mandated endorsements.
Last year marked a 15-year high for motorcycle fatalities with 53 deaths and 38 serious injury crashes, according to Jason Mettmann, Utah Highway Safety Office communications manager. Last July also became the deadliest fatality month in the state’s recorded traffic data history. So far this year, there have been 10 motorcycle fatalities in Utah.
“These numbers are unacceptable,” Mettmann said Thursday. “We need to make sure that drivers and riders are sharing the road with each other. We are already up to 10, as of last night, motorcycle fatalities in 2025. These crashes are violent, they’re tragic. We need to make sure that people are sharing the road and watching out for each other so that we can all get home safe.”
West Jordan business owner and motorcyclist Rachel Trim became part of the historic statistics in May 2024 when she was hit by a vehicle less than 10 miles from her home. The driver was on the shoulder of the road trying to turn right, but made a last-minute decision to go straight instead and collided with Trim, who was turning left.
Trim estimates the driver was only going about 5 mph when she was thrown off her motorcycle upon impact, breaking her tailbone, sternum and several ribs in the process. But Trim understands the accident could have been far worse if she had not been wearing protective gear — a helmet, crash jacket and riding boots — and attended a rider safety course when she began riding in 2017, which taught her how to respond in this scenario to minimize damage.
“When I went to the (emergency room), the ER doctor said if I hadn’t worn a crash jacket, which has a pad in the back, I would have broken my back,” said Trim. “I was not safe that day, so I’m very passionate about wearing your safety gear. If I wasn’t wearing my helmet that day … I wouldn’t be here today.”
She also explained that the riding boots she wore during the accident kept her ankle from breaking when it hit the motorcycle’s air cover so hard that the piece cracked. Though she was severely injured in the accident, Trim considers herself one of the lucky ones.
Though they make up less than 3% of Utah’s registered vehicles, motorcyclists accounted for 19% of traffic-related fatalities in 2024, according to the Utah Department of Public Safety. To promote greater safety skills for riders, the department is offering a 25% discount on motorcycle safety classes on the Ride to Live Utah website.
At a motorcycle safety press conference Thursday, the department also announced upcoming changes in legislation that will affect motorcyclists. On May 7, fines for riders who do not have a motorcycle endorsement on their driver’s license will be increased to $350. Driver’s license program coordinator Kamie Bell says these fines can be waived if the rider receives their endorsement within 30 days of receiving the citation, which can be done by taking a rider’s safety course.
On Jan. 1, motorcyclists will also be required to ensure their license plates are visible while driving and penalties for reckless riding will be increased. They also anticipate receiving more clarification on lane splitting and lane filtering laws, which allow motorcycle riders to move between two lanes of stopped traffic to decrease roadway congestion.
After $50,000 in medical bills and a year of recovery, Trim has also become passionate about promoting rider safety. She and her husband own Turn & Learn, a motorcycle shop with do-it-yourself bays where riders can work on their bikes, receive one-on-one help and take bike maintenance classes. They also offer a free pre-trip inspection event each spring, which will be held on Saturday, May 3.
Trim joins the Department of Public Safety in encouraging riders to practice safe driving skills and participate in rider safety courses.
“I can’t stress enough that taking a rider course, they teach you those survival skills and they teach you what to do if you get into a situation,” said Trim. “In our shop, every day, we see people that we recommend, ‘Hey, you’re a new driver, let’s get you into a safety course,’ or ‘You’re a new rider, let’s get you some gear to protect you.’ Especially when we see them come in and they are not well equipped to be safe.”
While working to increase awareness and safety skills in motorcyclists, Mettmann also acknowledged that there is about a 50/50 split in the actions of a driver and actions of a motorcycle rider that lead to crashes. Both Trim and Mettmann agree that drivers and riders alike have a responsibility to take care of their own safety, and the safety of those around them.
“My message to drivers is just to be aware. Share the road. We all have places to go, they have families and loved ones to go home to,” said Trim. “Stay off your phones. Electronic inebriation has gotten really bad. Let’s teach the younger generation that text message, that scrolling on your phone, can wait. Because that’s not as important as returning home to your loved ones.”
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