Motorcycle Accidents
Motorcycle crashes are more often serious, and riders often meet an assumption that they were to blame. Here is what Nevada law says, and where the uncertain points are.
The short answer
Nevada requires every motorcycle and moped rider and passenger to wear a helmet on a highway. Fault is decided on the evidence as in any other crash, with a recovery reduced by your own share and barred only if your share is greater than the other side's. Whether not wearing a helmet reduces damages is not something we could verify.
Why motorcycle claims are different
Riders have nothing around them, so injuries are more often serious. In 2024, 89 motorcycle riders and passengers were killed on Nevada roads, according to NHTSA.
Riders also tend to meet an assumption, sometimes from insurers, that they were going too fast or riding aggressively. That assumption is not evidence, and the claim turns on what actually happened.
Nevada's helmet law
When a motorcycle or moped is driven on a highway in Nevada, the rider and any passenger must wear protective headgear, securely fastened, and eye protection unless the bike has a windscreen meeting state standards. There are limited exceptions, such as authorised parades.
What not wearing a helmet does to a claim is a separate question. Whether Nevada allows it to reduce damages is not something we could verify against a Nevada source, so we do not state it either way. If it applies to you, it is a question for a Nevada attorney.
Fault
The comparative negligence rule applies to riders as to everyone else. A recovery is reduced by the rider's own share of fault and barred only if that share is greater than the combined share of those being claimed against. A car turning across a rider's path is a fault question to be answered with evidence: photographs, damage, witness accounts and any video.
Insurance
Serious injuries quickly exceed the $25,000 per person minimum that Nevada drivers must carry. Check whether your own policy includes uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage, which insurers must offer but riders can decline, and medical payments coverage, which pays medical expenses regardless of fault.
What to keep
Keep the helmet and protective gear rather than throwing them away, and photograph the bike before any repair. Damage to gear can show how the crash happened and the forces involved.
Deadline
Two years from the injury to file suit, as for any other Nevada injury claim.
See what applies to your situation
Answer a few questions about what happened and get the guidance that matches it.
NevadaAccidentHelp is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice. Submitting information does not create an attorney-client relationship.
Sources
Every statement on this page traces to one of the following. Where a source is not the issuing body itself, that is noted.
- NRS 486.231(2)-(4). Justia (Nevada Revised Statutes) Secondary source Checked 20 October 2026.
- NHTSA, Motorcycles: 2024 Data, Table 7 (DOT HS 813 824). NHTSA Official source Data year 2024, Nevada. census Checked 14 September 2026.
- NRS 41.141(1), (2)(a). Justia (Nevada Revised Statutes) Secondary source Checked 14 September 2026.
- NRS 485.185. Nevada DMV Official source Checked 14 September 2026.
- NRS 687B.145(2). Nevada Legislature Official source Checked 14 September 2026.
- NRS 687B.145(3). Nevada Legislature Official source Checked 14 September 2026.
- NRS 11.190(4)(e). Nevada Legislature Official source Checked 14 September 2026.
Some statutory text above was read from an established legal database rather than the Nevada Legislature's own site, because that page could not be retrieved in full. The wording was cross-checked across multiple independent databases. If you are relying on the exact text, read it on the Legislature's official site.
Other accident types
Car Accidents
The most common claim type, and the baseline for how fault and insurance work in Nevada.
Truck Accidents
Commercial trucks bring federal rules, much higher insurance and often more than one responsible party.
Motorcycle Accidents
Nevada requires a helmet, and riders often face assumptions about fault that the evidence needs to answer.
Rideshare Accidents
Coverage depends on what the app was doing at the moment of the crash.
Pedestrian Accidents
Pedestrians are protected by right-of-way rules, but fault is still argued.
Bicycle Accidents
Nevada requires drivers to give cyclists a full lane where there is one, or at least 3 feet.
Wrongful Death
Who can bring a claim after a fatal crash in Nevada, what it can recover, and the open deadline question.