Background <p>Young people, particularly university students, are at significant risk of motorcycle accidents. This study aimed to investigate road safety awareness and motorcycle riding behavior, and their association with road traffic crashes among Thai university students.</p> Methods <p>In this cross-sectional study, 854 university students who rode motorcycles at least three times per week completed an online self-administered survey. The questionnaire included self-reported road traffic crashes during the past year, basic knowledge of traffic regulations, road safety awareness, and motorcycle riding behavior.</p> Results <p>The prevalence of road traffic crashes in the past year was 28.7%. The mean scores for road safety awareness and motorcycle riding behavior were 80.44 ± 9.93 and 88.72 ± 8.25 (out of 100), respectively. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that road traffic crashes were inversely associated with road safety awareness and motorcycle riding behavior scores (per 10-point increase) after adjusting for confounders (AOR = 0.823, 95% CI: 0.705–0.961 and AOR = 0.811, 95% CI: 0.675–0.975, respectively). When the presence of unsafe riding behaviors was categorized by domains, road traffic crashes were significantly associated with traffic law violations (AOR = 1.530, 95% CI: 1.012–2.313) and driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs (AOR = 1.695, 95% CI: 1.244–2.311).</p> Conclusions <p>The findings highlight the need for integrated road safety interventions, including education, behavioral change strategies, and traffic law enforcement, to enhance safe riding practices among university students and reduce traffic-related injuries.</p>