Mexico City, Mexico: Strategies to prevent motorcyclist fatalities and injuries

Published: October 2024

In recent years, Mexico City has faced a significant increase in motorcyclist fatalities and injuries. From 2019 to 2022, deaths among motorcyclists and passengers increased by 134%, while injuries grew by 89%. This mirrors a regional increase in deaths among users of powered two- and three-wheelers, which increased from 15% to 25% of all road traffic deaths in the region of the Americas between 2010 and 2021.

In Mexico City, the rise is partly due to the growing popularity of motorcycles as an affordable and efficient mode of transportation, in a city notorious for its dense and congested traffic. Between 2014 and 2023 the number of motorcycles registered in the city more than tripled, increasing from 210 020 in 2014 to 716 400 in 2023. This trend has led to a higher incidence of motorcycle crashes, resulting in more severe injuries and fatalities. In 2022, motorcycles were involved in 6 out of 10 traffic incidents; nearly half of the fatalities in such incidents (174 out of 381) were motorcyclists, of which 50% (86 out of 174) died in single-vehicle crashes, often involving skidding or colliding with a tree or pole. Vulnerable road users (motorcyclists, pedestrians, and cyclists) accounted for 81% of traffic fatalities during this period (2019-2022), with motorcyclists representing the largest group at 47%.

To address this issue, between 2023 and 2024 the city undertook several actions to reduce motorcycle-related crashes, fatalities and injuries by strengthening and enforcing regulations to improve safety. Their actions align with several WHO-recommended interventions around improving road safety for powered two- and three-wheelers.

Read the full case study: Strategies to prevent motorcyclist fatalities and injuries in Mexico City