Motorcycle accidents make up a share of the amount of total road accidents, but several factors differentiate motorcycle accidents from other auto accidents. The injury and death rates are quite different with motorcycles than car or truck accidents. The liability and damages for causing motorcycle accidents can also be quite unique for similar reasons.
If by any chance, an accident happens, and you get injured, whether you were the rider, driver, pedestrian, or passenger, a personal injury lawyer can help you.
First, you need to know and understand why motorcycle accidents are treated differently than other types of motor-vehicle accidents. So, we will discuss what the risks are in riding motorcycles within this blog.
You should take the right steps if an accident occurs and avoid one in the first place when you know the reasons why most accidents occur. So, let’s begint.
Why Are Motorcycles More Riskier To Ride Than A Car?
As you know for a fact, motorcycles are far smaller than a car and they even weigh less. A motorcycle may be heavier than you but a car is not. Generally, it has only two wheels, which makes it more difficult to ride.
When you are on a motorcycle, you are more vulnerable to injuries that can occur from an accident than if you were in a car. There is no barrier between your body and your surroundings other than a helmet that only protects your head.
The number of motorcycles on the road may not be very many. This also means that the number of injuries or fatalities that can result from motorcycle accidents are far less than the overwhelming amount of injuries and deaths that are caused by car accidents. The damage and death rates in a motorcycle accident, however, are proportionately more significant with motorcycles than cars. The injuries are more likely to be severe.
According to the federal government, in 2006, motorcycles caused 35 times more fatalities than cars. Clearly, this helps to paint a picture of how dangerous motorbike accidents are.
What Are The Risks With Motorcycles?
- Road Hazard: When you are on the road, remember, there are several things and situations that may cause a hindrance in your journey. Small flying objects such as debris can cause a greater impact to a motorcyclist than to the driver or passenger of a car. If the wind is high or the weather is terrible, it may make the situation worse.
Slippery or wet pavements can be dangerous for a motorcycle. Since it has only two wheels, it can easily skid and cause serious injuries. - Blind Spot Of A Car:Motorcycles often get into the blind spots of cars and other vehicles, which creates a bad situation for both the cars and bikes. Bikes are small motor vehicles, so it is very natural. Any object on or off the road, including other vehicles, can easily hide them from other vehicles, and collisions can occur.
This type of collision often occurs in intersections. As an intersection is most likely to have more vehicles, a major accident can occur as a result. - Less Protection: As we have mentioned before, there is no protective barrier between a motorcycle rider and the outside. When you are inside of a car, you get primary protection from the frame and body of the vehicle, but that is not the case with motorcycles. The rider doesn’t have such protective walls. When you ride a motorcycle, you don’t even get a seatbelt to keep you from being ejected from the motorcycle in an accident. Even if you had walls and a seatbelt, you could get injured in the crash anyway, since motorcycles don’t generally have airbags.
The only protection you might get while riding a bike is a helmet. That may or may not protect your head, depending on the type of injury and where the impact occurs. However, you are less likely to get a head injury by wearing helmets. Nonetheless, your body remains very vulnerable to injury since helmets offer only limited protection which does not include any other part of your body such as your spine..
That doesn’t mean, however, you should not wear helmets. You are less likely to die when you wear helmets. Head injuries cause more fatalities than other injuries.
Another item that may somehow give you a little protection is a leather biker suit. Lather offers a little protection against road crashes. It may not protect your bones and limbs, but your skin and muscles may get cushion from impact injuries.
- Stability:
Bikes have less stability than cars. You ride a motorcycle on two wheels, not four. Balancing this vehicle is itself challenging, such as trying to use emergency brakes, make sharp turns and swerving. The front wheel of your bike may also “wobble” at high speed. That may also cause a severe accident.
- Risky Behavior:
When you are maneuvering on sports bicycles, you may want to speed up. This natural reflex and fast acceleration and risky behaviors are observed among sport bikers. Speeding, however, is dangerous. It narrows your vision, and the visuals get blurry. You don’t get much time to decide in an emergency, where an accident may be unavoidable, especially if you are moving too fast to stop in time.
- Skills and Difficulties:
As we have quite a few times in this blog; riding a motorcycle or other motorbike on the road requires more skill to maneuver than driving a car. You cannot ride a bike without substantial skills. You need to ensure that you are the proper age and have the appropriate driver’s license to operate the vehicle that you drive. Even if you do everything right, no matter how skillful you are, you may become involved in an accident due to another person’s negligence.
If you are a victim of a motorbike accident, contact an accident lawyer. A professional in the legal field can help get you out of a difficult situation. Do not delay, call our law firm today and we will fight for your rights to ensure you get the compensation that you deserve.
Comments are closed.