The slogan “Be Aware, Motorcycles Are Everywhere” was well intentioned but does not seem to have accomplished its goal. Motorcycles consistently, year after year, are involved in a disproportionate number of collisions. Nationwide motorcycles represent less than five percent of the registered vehicles on the road yet they are involved in closer to ten percent of the collisions each year.
While there are an infinite number of fact patterns in which a motorcycle may be involved in an accident, studies have shown that certain facts patterns seem to continuously emerge. First, approximately three-quarters of the accident in which a motorcycle is involved are multi-vehicle collisions. While bikers do have single vehicle collisions, the majority, therefore, involve another vehicle. The most significant finding is that of the accidents where another vehicle is involved, the other vehicle violates the right of way of the biker almost two-thirds of the time. The most common violation is when another vehicle turns in front of the motorcycle causing a collision. Drivers of other vehicles that have been involved in an accident with a motorcycle claim, the vast majority of the time, that they simply did not see the motorcyclist. Single vehicle accidents involving motorcycles represent only about twenty-five percent of all accidents. In those accidents, driver error is the most prominent cause of the accident. Not surprisingly, young and/or inexperienced bikers were over-represented in the single vehicle accidents.
Unfortunately, bikers are unfairly dependent on other drivers to prevent accidents and injuries. The same characteristics that make motorcycles so attractive to bikers are what make them so dangerous or likely to cause injury in the event of an accident. The freedom one feels while riding is also what raises the likelihood of injury in a collision to over 90%. In addition, a biker may have mere seconds to recognize a potential accident and attempt to prevent it. In many cases, preventing an accident on a motorcycle requires the rider to lay the bike down – essentially picking the lesser of two evils. Even these evasive tactics still create damage to the bike and potentially injure the driver and/or passenger. Until drivers of other vehicles on the roadways make a consistent and concerted effort to be aware of motorcycles, bikers will likely continue to be involved in collisions with other vehicles.
If you have been involved in a collision in a motorcycle ad believe that the other driver was at fault in the accident, you may be entitled to compensation for any physical or emotional injuries as well as to compensation for any damage to your motorcycle. Not paying to attention to the other vehicles on the roadway-including motorcycles- may amount to negligence(a legal term for fault or blame) on the part of the other driver. In order to better understand your legal options, contact the motorcycle accident law firm of Ledger & Associates for a free detailed evaluation of your case. The firm may be reached by calling 1-800-300-0001 or you may visit them online at www.ledgerlaw.com
