Portland Motorcycle Deaths Through September 18, 2026

From January 1 through September 18, 2026, PBOT’s alternative-format table lists 13 motorcycle deaths in Portland—more than each listed full-year total for 2022–2025. The periods are unequal, recent counts are preliminary, and the figures do not measure risk per ride.

Portland motorcycle deaths: the listed counts

The alternative-format table on PBOT’s Vision Zero dashboard page reports:

These are unequal periods. PBOT describes the past two years’ deadly-crash data as preliminary and subject to change.

September 18 is the cutoff for this alternative-format table, not necessarily other dashboard components. The article’s September 21 publication date does not extend that count.

Does the higher count mean each ride is riskier?

The count alone cannot answer that. The table does not provide January 1–September 18 counts for earlier years, and the cited materials do not provide the riding-exposure data needed to calculate deaths per mile, trip or rider. The comparison therefore does not establish same-period growth, a change in risk per ride or the eventual 2026 total.

For different historical context, see our separate statewide 2022–2024 comparison. It covers different geography, periods and measures—not an overall 2026 trend.

Where to look beyond the public count

PBOT’s classification rules affect which deaths appear in its data. Examples of exclusions include deaths occurring more than 30 days after a crash and crashes in parking lots; these are not the only exclusions.

According to PBOT’s guide:

• PPB holds investigation information. A public count does not replace the underlying investigation.
• ODOT maintains official crash records. Official records are released more than 18 months after the calendar year ends.

For more on these source distinctions, see how to interpret Portland crash-data sources.

The September 19 crash is separate from the September 18 snapshot

In a September 19 preliminary release, PPB reported a fatal motorcycle crash that morning at McLoughlin and SE 17th. The incident occurred after the table’s September 18 cutoff; the release did not provide an updated citywide motorcycle-death total.

PPB reported that the van driver remained at the scene and cooperated, no arrests or citations were reported at that time, and the investigation continued. Those circumstances do not resolve fault.

Have information about this crash? PPB’s September 19 release sought witnesses and information under case 26-274376. See the linked release for the agency’s request.

Shared-safety guidance for road users

The July 21 joint PPB/PBOT warning urged all road users, especially motorists, to slow down, stay alert and share the road safely. This general guidance does not establish who caused any particular collision.

For questions about motorcycle injury claims, see Johnson Law’s service information. Individual circumstances, rather than citywide counts or assumptions about riders, are the focus of a claim.

This article provides educational information only, not legal advice.

Sources

• PBOT Vision Zero dashboard guide and alternative-format table: January 1–September 18, 2026 motorcycle count, listed prior annual totals, preliminary-data status, classification examples and record-source distinctions. The table cutoff was verified by direct retrieval on September 21, 2026.
• Joint PPB/PBOT warning, July 21, 2026: shared-safety guidance.
• PPB preliminary Brooklyn neighborhood crash release, September 19, 2026: separately dated incident, investigation status and witness request.