How Dangerous Are Motorcycle Accidents?

Rs Law Offices/Our blog/How Dangerous Are Motorcycle Accidents?

How Dangerous Are Motorcycle Accidents?

04/11/2022

Motorcyclists are more likely to die in a traffic accident than people inside passenger cars. In fact, they are 28 times more likely, due to a number of factors, including things like potential low visibility from the blind spots of other vehicles around them. Motorcycles are also most likely to be involved in collisions with another vehicle, rather than on their own. This is increasingly likely to happen if a vehicle makes a left turn in front of a motorcycle – visibility is key. Here are some facts to help you understand how safe it is or is not to ride a motorcycle.


What Are Other Facts Regarding Motorcycle Accidents?

Motorcycle accidents are simply more common than normal motor vehicle accidents. While the causes of these accidents can vary, the numbers tell a clear story, that motorcycles are generally less safe than other motor vehicles:

  • Around one percent of motorcyclists experience
    automobile crashes
  • In 2017, there were over 8 million motorcycles
    registered
  • Just over 94,000 motorcyclists were injured or
    killed in crashes in 2017
  • The number killed in those accidents was just
    over 5,000, and almost all of them were the motorcycle operators

What are the Main Causes of Death in Motorcycle Accidents?

The biggest cause of death in motorcycle accidents – accounting for fifty seven percent of such accidents – is collision with another vehicle. This can happen any number of ways and from many different angles, but simply being on a motorcycle put them at greater risk.

  • Driving straight ahead is the other major cause
    of death in motorcycle accidents – accounting for 42 percent – specifically
    when someone turns left in front of a motorcycle who is heading straight
  • Thirty two percent of the motorcyclists involved
    in crashes found to be fatal were going over the speed limit. Higher speed
    means less control
  • Under the influence – twenty eight percent of
    those motorcyclists killed in 2017 were under the influence of alcohol

These might seem like obvious exceptions, and while speeding and drinking and driving are dangerous regardless of the mode of transportation, motorcycles are more difficult to handle, overall.

What Other Conditions Are at Play?

Most motorcycle crashes occur in places other than at an intersection – 65 percent, in fact. 91 percent occur on non-interstate roads, according to the 2017 study. Bad weather and time of day are also a factor. Rain and fog account for 3 percent of total fatalities.

What to Do If You Are in a Motorcycle Crash?

As with any accident, it is key to get medical attention if you need it after a crash involving a motorcycle. Keep your medical records and be sure to write down all important insurance and other details that could play into the next stage. That next stage should be hiring an attorney who will work for you to get the compensation that you deserve for your accident. Safe drivers should not be held accountable for other people’s lack of safety precautions, and you are no exception.

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