Causes of Motorcycle Accidents

Any auto accident has the potential to result in injury, but accidents involving motorcycles are even more likely to have devastating consequences. This is because motorcycles, by design, offer less protection than other motor vehicles. Even with motorcycle helmet laws in place, motorcycle riders are particularly vulnerable to injury or death in the event of an accident. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 5,154 motorcyclists were killed in auto accidents in 2007, more than double the number that had been killed just ten years earlier. By far, the most common cause of motorcycle accidents is collisions with passenger motor vehicles, accounting for approximately three-fourths of all motorcycle accidents, according to a study conducted by Harry Hurt at the University of Southern California and funded by the NHTSA. In the majority of these collisions, the operator of the passenger vehicle was at fault; in most cases, the at-fault driver either failed to see the motorcycle or saw the motorcycle only after a collision was unavoidable. Often, these drivers would hit a motorcycle at an intersection while trying to navigate a turn or while changing lanes. Although adverse weather conditions and flaws in roadways are also contributors to motorcycle accidents, these causes are far rarer than collisions with passenger vehicles. In addition to wearing a helmet and other protective wear, motorcyclists can help to avoid accidents by using their headlight to increase their visibility, even during daylight hours. Motorcyclists should also engage in extreme caution when legally "lane splitting"; that is, sharing a lane with extremely slow-moving traffic in order to pass this traffic. In the unfortunate event that a motorcyclist is injured due to the inattention or recklessness of other motorists, his or her best option is to contact a personal injury lawyer with experience in handling motorcycle accident cases to learn more about his or her legal rights. If the at-fault driver is found to be negligent, the victim may be able to recover compensation for medical bills, lost wages, and other losses and expenses related to the accident.