Motorcycle accidents are some of the most dangerous and deadly incidents that take place on U.S. roadways. According to 2016 fatal crash data, motorcyclist deaths occurred 28 times more frequently than fatalities in other vehicle crashes. In other words, crashing a motorcycle is more likely to be a deadly accident than crashing a car or an eighteen wheeler.
Preventing motorcycle accidents is the first step to reducing unfortunate injuries on the road, and unfortunate calls to a motorcycle injury attorney. But what causes motorcycles to crash in the first place?
The Top Causes of Motorcycle Crashes:
Many of the most common causes of fatal motorcycle accidents involve other vehicles. When other cars are involved, the crash is often very harmful due to the vast difference in size between the two vehicles. The top three causes of crashes with other vehicles include head-on collisions, unsafe lane changes, and collisions when a car is making a left-hand turn.
Lane changing and turning vehicles are particularly dangerous because drivers fail to check their mirrors properly, and have a hard time seeing motorcycles due to their smaller size. In fact, cars making left-hand turns cause 48% of all crashes between motorcycles and passenger vehicles.
It is especially important to check for motorcycles when changing lanes and making left turns at intersections– as they say, looking twice can save a life, and can save you having to seek out a motorcycle accident attorney.
Other Common Causes
Though unsafe lane changes from other vehicles are the most common cause of motorcycle accidents, and head-on collisions are the most deadly, other conditions contribute to motorcycle crashes. Other common causes include:
- Car doors opening into a lane of traffic and blocking the path of an oncoming motorcycle.
- Motorcyclists “lane splitting” by driving between two lanes of traffic. Though motorcyclists might be tempted to split lanes in traffic jams, this practice is often illegal and very dangerous, especially since drivers don’t anticipate being passed by any other vehicle in stopped traffic.
- Speeding, from both the motorcyclist and other drivers on the road, leads to more accidents, and causes accidents that do occur to be more severe.
- Drivers under the influence can force motorcyclists to make dangerous maneuvers to avoid a head-on-collision or other accident, which unfortunately often results in an accident anyway.
- Sudden stops, causing the motorcyclist to be thrown against the rear of a stopped vehicle.
- Dangerous road and weather conditions
- Motorcycle defects and malfunctions, which are often more dangerous than other vehicle malfunctions because the driver is relatively unprotected.
Finding Motorcycle Injury Attorneys
If you or someone you know has been injured in a motorcycle accident, seek professional legal help from a motorcycle injury attorney. Most motorcycle accident cases are worthy of review. For the best legal representation in your motorcycle accident claim, call Brooks Law Group today. From driver fatigue to intoxication, experts at Brooks Law Group have the professional experience your case needs.
