Many motorcycle accidents happen because another driver on the road violates a traffic law and there are some common traffic laws that are violated all the time to cause them. Knowing what these common violations are can help you to decide if you want to pursue litigation and compensation for your injuries and repair costs, because the warnings for other drivers regarding motorcycles are out there and those that ignore them should be held responsible for poor driving habits on our California roadways and highways.
One of the most common causes of motorcycle accidents is inattentive driving. This violation is defined as a driver who is not paying attention. This could be due to several reasons including talking or texting on a cell phone, trying to deal with kids in the car or eating, drinking or doing hair and makeup while driving. Inattentive driving can also be caused by fatigue or simply by a person who is distracted by other thoughts and is not paying attention to the road as carefully as they should be. Either way, inattentive driving can cause serious and sometimes deadly accidents.
Not surprisingly, a large number of car accidents are caused by drivers who have their license revoked, suspended or have never taken the test to get a driver’s license in the first place. Also, a certain percentage or motorists on the road are not driving an insured vehicle, or a vehicle that is under insured. Although the accident is generally caused by the driver committing some other violation, this is still relevant to a lawsuit, because they should not have been on the road in the first place, and punitive damages may apply.
Alcohol is involved in about half of the car accidents that happen and that includes motorcycle accidents. Alcohol impairs your driving and makes your reaction time slower so that you have a harder time responding to things that happen quickly on the road. It is very important to contact an attorney if you are involved in an accident with an intoxicated driver because you will certainly want to pursue litigation against a driver that was irresponsible enough to get behind the wheel while intoxicated, and potentially cause serious injury or death.
Studies by the National Highway Traffic Safety Association and others suggest that over sixty percent of car accidents that involve both a motorcycle and another vehicle are the fault of the driver of the other vehicle and a motorcyclist is five times more likely to get injured when involved in a collision, and the chances of it becoming a fatality is increased more than twenty five times. These statistics make it more important than ever that other motorists are cautious of motorcycles If you have been involved in an accident with another vehicle while riding you should contact a qualified motorcycle attorney for more information on what can be done.
