Powered-two/three wheelers
The term “motorised two and three-wheelers” (commonly referred to as “PTWs” – Powered Two-Wheelers) covers users and uses that are very diverse. Indeed, this category includes both mopeds (moped riders) and motorcycles (motorcyclists), with small and large engine capacities.
A moped is a vehicle with an engine capacity of less than 50cc and a maximum speed not exceeding 45 km/h, whereas a motorcycle has an engine capacity exceeding 50cc. The first category therefore includes two-wheeled scooter-type vehicles. Three-wheeled scooters with an engine capacity exceeding 50cc are classified as motorcycles, together with two-wheeled motorcycles.
According to Kantar’s 2023 Parc Auto survey, the PTW fleet is estimated at 2.8 million vehicles, a figure that has remained stable for around ten years. 8.3 % of households own at least one motorised two-wheeler. The vast majority of households owning a PTW also own a car. The share of households exclusively equipped with a PTW remains very marginal and unchanged, at around 0.5 % in 2023.
In 2024, 720 PTW users were killed. Three quarters of these fatalities involved heavy motorcycles (over 125cc). PTWs account for 23 % of road traffic fatalities, 32 % of estimated seriously injured casualties, and 39 % of those who still suffer after-effects one year after the crash. Between 2019 and 2024, the number of moped riders killed decreased by 8.2%. Over the same period, the number of motorcycle fatalities also declined (-3.9 %), while the number of fatalities among non-PTW users decreased only slightly (-0.9%).
Among moped riders, the 14-17 and 18-24 age groups are the most affected, with 40 and 33 fatalities respectively. Among motorcyclists, the 18-24 age group is particularly affected: it represents 8 % of the French population but 18 % of motorcyclist fatalities. Men, across all age groups, account for 94 % of fatalities (compared with 75 % for other road users, excluding pedestrians).
Failure to wear protective equipment by motorcyclists (helmet, gloves, boots, etc.) is an aggravating factor, even at low speed. The absence of a helmet concerned 19 PTW users killed (3 % of PTW fatalities), including 10 in urban areas. Between 2022 and 2024, speed was a predominant factor for riders of heavy motorcycles presumed responsible for a fatal crash, being present in 54 % of cases. For other PTWs, alcohol was a major factor (36 % of cases for mopeds and 29 % for light motorcycles).
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