When gas prices rise, more people rely on motorcycles for transportation. Unfortunately, motorcyclists risk becoming an accident victim every time they leave their driveway, as a motorcycle accident lawyer understands all too well.

The insurance industry claims that half of all motorcycle crashes are “single vehicle” accidents, but that claim ignores the fact that motorcycle riders often crash while making an evasive maneuver to avoid a car that is changing lanes or that has turned in front of the rider. When no contact is made and the driver cannot be identified, insurance companies treat the crash as a “single vehicle” accident even though another vehicle actually caused the crash.

Motorcycle Crash Statistics

The motorcycle accident fatality rate increased during 2015 and 2016 (the most recent years for which data is available). That trend is disturbing. Despite safety campaigns urging drivers to share the road with motorcyclists, fatal crashes are on an upswing.

Per vehicle mile traveled, motorcycle crashes cause a fatality nearly 28 times more often than passenger car crashes. Passenger cars provide protection for occupants in the form of safety harnesses, airbags, and crumple zones. Motorcycle riders have only their helmet and gear to protect them.

Helmets cannot assure that motorcycle riders will survive a crash, but the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates that helmets saved the lives of more than 1,800 motorcyclists in 2016. When helmetless riders do survive a crash, they too often suffer from traumatic brain injuries. We urge all motorcycle riders and their passengers to wear a helmet, even for a short trip.

Studies show that collisions between a motorcycle and a car are usually the fault of the car’s driver. Roughly 60% of motorcycle crashes involving a second vehicle are primarily the fault of the other driver, not the motorcyclist. In nearly all of those cases, the other vehicle is a passenger car.

Left Turns in Front of Motorcycles

The Hurt Report, commissioned by NHTSA and published in 1981, found that the most common reason for motorcycle accidents “involves another vehicle causing the collision by violating the right-of-way of the motorcycle at an intersection, usually by turning left in front of the oncoming motorcycle because the car driver did not see the motorcycle.”

Unfortunately, little has changed since the Hurt Report was published. A 2013 analysis of motorcycle crashes over a 10-year period in Florida confirmed that most collisions caused by a negligent driver occurred when the driver made a left turn in front of an oncoming motorcycle.

Driver Perceptions

Why do drivers so often fail to yield to motorcycles when they make a left turn? The Florida researchers suggest two reasons. First, the size of a moving vehicle affects perceptions of speed. Drivers perceive trucks to be moving faster, and motorcycles to be moving slower, than their actual speed. That mistaken perception causes drivers to misjudge the time they have to complete a turn before an oncoming motorcycle reaches the intersection.

Second, many drivers do not expect to see motorcycles on the road and are oblivious to their presence. The Florida researchers found that drivers who ride motorcycles tend to notice them, while drivers who lack experience as motorcycle riders underestimate the number of motorcycles in their driving environment. Drivers who are generally unaware of motorcycles are more likely to turn in front of them.

Other Causes of Collisions with Motorcycles

Distracted driving is a growing problem on the nation’s roads and highways. Publicity has focused on drivers who read or send texts, dial calls, or scroll through a contact list on their cellphones while driving, but any distraction that takes a driver’s eyes off the road can cause a collision. Unwrapping a drive-thru cheeseburger, putting on makeup in the rearview mirror, or programming a GPS are all distracting activities that can lead to accidents.

Drivers who crash into the rear of a motorcycle have usually taken their eyes off the road. Driver distraction can also cause fatal head-on collisions. Other reasons for motorcycle crashes include:

  •   Failure to check a blind spot before changing lanes
  •   Merging into traffic without yielding to a motorcycle
  •   Trying to beat a red light as a motorcycle enters an intersection
  •   Backing out of a parking spot and into a motorcyclist
  •   Falling asleep at the wheel and deviating from a traffic lane

Whenever a driver’s carelessness causes a motorcycle accident, the motorcyclist can bring a negligence claim against the driver. When the accident is fatal, the motorcycle rider’s family can bring a wrongful death claim. In either case, retaining a law firm that has experience representing motorcycle riders enhances the opportunity to obtain the compensation that accident victims and their families deserve.

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