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Portland is seeing a surge in deadly motorcycle crashes in 2026.
Eleven of the 25 people killed in traffic crashes so far this year were motorcyclists, according to the Police Bureau. That’s twice the number of such fatalities that were recorded at this point last year, police said.
Four motorcyclists have died in crashes in the city within the past month alone.
“We don’t want that spike to become a trend,” Portland Bureau of Transportation spokesperson Dylan Rivera said.
Traffic Sgt. Betsy Hornstein said Tuesday that more motorcyclists are on the road as the weather gets warmer and drier. She advised drivers in car to be extra cautious around motorcycles.
Hornstein urged motorcyclists to wear Department of Transportation-approved helmets and to ride the speed limit. She also urged them not to engage in lane-splitting, or riding between lanes of traffic, which she said is illegal in Oregon.
“The crash scenes, frankly, are pretty horrific,” Hornstein said. “They’re traumatic for everybody that’s involved.”
Motorcycle deaths should be seen as avoidable, not inevitable, Rivera added.
Traffic deaths overall have decreased in Portland, police said.
“If we slow down, if we follow the rules of the road,” Rivera said, “we can all eliminate traffic deaths.”
Correction: This story has been updated to correct the name of the Portland Bureau of Transportation.
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