OBJECTIVE: To analyze motorcycle accidents mortality trends in Brazil. METHODS: A descriptive time series study of mortality from motorcycle accidents in Brazil between 1996 and 2009 according to state and age group. The data on mortality were obtained from the National Mortality Information System of Ministry of Health and the population data from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics. Standardized mortality rates were calculated for the entire period for the country as a whole and for each state. Annual variability in mortality rates was estimated using Prais-Winsten generalized linear correlation. RESULTS: Between 1996 and 2009 the mortality rate increased from 0.5 to 4.5 per 100.000 habitants (an increase of 800.0% in mortality rates during the period studied and an average annual increase of 19.0%). High mortality rates in 2009 were observed in the states of Piauí, Sergipe and Mato Grosso. The largest increases were observed in states in the North, Northeast and Midwest of Brazil. CONCLUSIONS: There was a significant increase in motorcycle accident mortality rates for the country as a whole during the studied period, mainly in states in the Northeast.