Table 10: Motorcyclist Fatalities by Year and Person Type
Year	Operator (Driver)		Passenger		Total
	Number	Percent	Number	Percent
1999	2,276	92	196	8	2,472
From DOT HS 809-271 Technical Report: Recent Trends in Fatal Motorcycle Crashes, page 19

California Motorcycle Handbook 2002 says on the page 29:

Only experienced riders should carry passengers or heavy loads. The extra weight changes the way the motorcycle handles, the way it balances, the way it turns, the way it speeds up, and the way it slows down. Before you carry a passenger or heavy load on the street, practice away from traffic.

If you can afford not to carry passengers, don't. I have never carried a passenger on my bike because I don't think carrying a passenger makes riding any easier for me and also I won't be able to cope with the guilt of being the cause of harming someone in the event I go down with a passenger behind me.

The fact is in 1999, 196 motorcyclists were killed as passengers in motorcycle accidents.

Table H4-1: Reduction of Fatalities and Fatality Rate Based on DOT HS 809-271 Figures No Passenger
	Reduction in Fatalities	Fatalities	Fatality Rate: per 100,000 Registered Motorcycles	Percent Reduction from Factual
1999 (Factual)	N/A	2,472	59.53	N/A
No Passenger	196	2,276	54.81	-7.93%

Note: Fatality Rate is calculated using the following formula:

Fatality Rate = (Fatalities / 4,152,433) x 100,000
4,152,433 = The Number of Registered Motorcycles for the year 1999, as reported on the page 8 of DOT HS 809-271.