According to the NHTSA, motorcycle deaths rose 13 percent, the highest increase since 1977 and double that of 1997. The agency attributes the figure to the greater number of riders across age groups, many of which, states the Motorcycle Safety Foundation, decide to make "choices that roadway users make to drive impaired, unaware or in an inattentive manner, and riders who ride impaired, untrained or without proper protective gear."
SUV deaths from rollovers dropped in 2005, but increased overall by 2.1 percent due to increasing minivan and pickup rollovers. Interestingly, pedestrian death also increased nationwide by 4 percent. The NHTSA is at loss to explain the increase.