With weather temperatures increasing, four wheeled vehicles will be sharing the road with more motorcycles. The month of May is known as National Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month, which raises awareness for the importance of drivers to be aware of the increased risks of motorcycle casualties and injuries during the summer months.
Motorcycles are smaller vehicles compared to those with which they share the roads and can be difficult to spot for other drivers. This prevents other drivers from yielding when needed, or giving motorcycles the right of way, leading to a surge in collisions. Frequently drivers are on the lookout for vehicles other than motorcycles and can be caught off guard when a motorcycle approaches. Due to the lack of protection on motorcycles, there is a greater chance of a motorcycle rider sustaining a serious injury in a collision.
There are many factors that can result in motorcycle accidents such as speeding, inattentiveness, or vehicles being driven by alcohol-impaired drivers. A driver’s increased use of technology also causes distracted driving on the road, ultimately leading to an increased risk of a collision with a motorcycle. A rider’s injuries can vary depending on the vehicle’s speed, the location of the collision, and whether there were any other proper safety precautions avoided by both the driver and the rider.
TheNational Safety Council (NSC), which compiles and publishes annual statistics of motorcycle injuries and deaths, reported a total of 4,976 motorcycle rider and passenger crashes in 2015. They also reported 88,000 nonfatal motorcycle injuries within the same year. Additionally, the NSC has compiled data which shows there has been an overall increase in motorcycle accidents over recent years because of the increase in motorcycle riders on the road.
Overall, there seems to be an increased trend of riding motorcycles because of easy accessibility and an increase in popularity. The roads are also seeing an increase in motorcycles by “re-entry riders,” who decide to re-enter the roads again as motorcycle riders, often as older adults who had stopped riding motorcycles at an earlier age.
Have you or a loved one suffered injuries from a motorcycle accident recently? Call Kershaw Talley Barlow at (916) 520-6639 for a free case consultation.