Common Causes of Motorcycle Accidents

Numerous factors can contribute to a motorcycle accident. Because of a motorcycle’s limited crashworthiness, motorcycles do not protect a cyclist in a collision, road and weather hazards pose a greater risk to cyclists than to automobile passengers. Since the majority of motorcycle accidents involve another motor vehicle, driver impairment and disobedience to traffic laws also plays a significant role in motorcycle collisions.

Motorcyclist/Driver Obedience to Traffic Laws

The National Highway Traffic Safety Association (NHTSA) reports that more than 51 percent of motorcycle collisions involve auto accidents (collisions with another motor vehicle). Operators of motor vehicles – motorcycles and automobiles alike – play a role in the safety of motorcyclists.

Drivers have the most responsibility for motorcyclists’ safety, since an automobile can seriously injure a cyclist. A driver who is intoxicated is more likely not to notice a motorcyclist, as is a driver who is not paying attention, disregarding traffic laws, and driving at night or during inclement weather.

As statistics about motorcycling accidents indicate, the cyclist, too, plays a role in his safety on the road. Impairing factors for a motorcyclist include whether a cyclist wears a helmet and protective gear, stays out of drivers’ blind spots, remains audible to surrounding vehicles, drives during daylight hours, stays off the road during inclement weather, and obeys traffic laws. Additionally, cyclist sobriety should not go unnoted, since, in 2006, 27 percent of all fatally injured motorcyclists had a BAC of .08 or higher.

Road and Weather Conditions

Motorcyclists are more vulnerable to adverse weather and road conditions, since a motorcycle’s wheel has less surface area than a car tire and clings more tenuously to the road, and since motorcyclists make turns by leaning. Road and weather conditions that would pose little threat to an insulated automobile passenger – particularly wetness, bumps and potholes, and even painted stripes on the road – can pose a threat to a cyclist’s safety. In addition, mechanical problems that occur on the road pose a greater threat to a cyclist’s safety than mechanical problems in an automobile would.

Contact an Experienced Motorcycle Accident Attorney

Motorcyclists face a greater risk of injury on the road. If you are injured in a motorcycling accident, you need an attorney to help you pursue compensation for your injuries. Locate a motorcycle accident lawyer near you today.