Rally Resources Lead to a Safer Sturgis
Every year, thousands of motorcycle riders, fanatics and friends flock to Sturgis, South Dakota, for the biggest motorcycle rally in the world. The winding roads of the Black Hills are congested with those coming and going for over a week. Between the parties, concerts and events, there’s opportunity for injuries, crashes and fatalities. And every year, the South Dakota Highway Patrol compiles data and puts out a report sharing those numbers. The report can give insight into the effect of safety efforts, areas of improvement, and the need for more patrol and other resources.
With over 525,000 motorized vehicles in attendance at the 10-day event, safety was a main priority. Even though attendance was up almost 14% from last year, crashes were about the same while fatalities and DUI arrests were down 20% and 16% respectively.
| Item | Sturgis | Rapid City District | District Total | Last Year to Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DUI Arrests | 100 | 22 | 122 | 145 |
| Misd Drug Arrests | 116 | 35 | 151 | 241 |
| Felony Drug Arrests | 73 | 39 | 112 | 126 |
| Total Citations | 1006 | 566 | 1572 | 1334 |
| Total Warnings | 2857 | 1462 | 4319 | 3576 |
| Cash Seized | $1,862.00 | $1,796.00 | $3,658.00 | $18763.00 |
| Vehicles Seized | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| For Drug Poss. | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| For Serial No. | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Non-Injury Crashes | 26 | 32 | 50 | 50 |
| Injury Crashes | 26 | 34 | 60 | 56 |
| Fatal Crashes | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 |
| # of Fatalities | 2 | 2 | 4 | 5 |
Putting on a safer rally isn’t without effort. Law enforcement in the Sturgis area made their presence obvious, spending the week patrolling the roads, stressing common sense and situation awareness for riders and drivers. Resources such as the South Dakota Rides Sturgis page also played a role, offering safety tips, rally resources, traffic updates and more.