The Hazards of Motorcycle Riding in the District of Columbia and West Virginia
Motorcycles are a dangerous form of transportation, but that does not stop motorcycle riders from enjoying the exhilaration and feeling of freedom that comes from riding. Accidents involving motorcycles are, with good reason, far more catastrophic than accidents between passenger vehicles because riders have no protection from the road or from other vehicles. For motorcyclists, the most important piece of safety equipment is between their ears. Taking the time to learn about motorcycle safety and taking motorcycle training courses will go a long way toward helping riders to know what to do when they get into a situation where they must make split-second maneuvers to avoid a collision.
Common causes of motorcycle crashes
Of course there are countless different types of motorcycle accident, but there are a few that are more common, including:
- A car tuning left in front of you. Whether the turning vehicle did not see you or they did not judge your speed accurately this can create a dangerous situation for the motorcycle rider. The best way to avoid these kinds of situations is to be alert and aware of what is going on and to the best of your ability learn to anticipate what other vehicles might be preparing to do.
- Lane splitting. When a motorcycle rides in between two lanes of cars that are either moving very slowly or stopped due to heavy traffic accidents can occur when cars change lanes quickly in front of you because they were not expecting anything to be passing them when traffic is at such a standstill.
- Getting hit from behind by a car. Somehow, the driver of the vehicle behind you did not see you and is getting ready to crash into you. When you see this kind of situation coming, you can pull out in front of the car ahead of you to get out of the way.
- A parked car opens its door. The area between parked cars and moving traffic is called the “Death Zone” by cyclists because at any moment a car door could open, or drivers and unexpectedly pull out of a parking spot blocking your path without enough time to stop. You can avoid this by never traveling beside parked cars.
- Drunk driving. Do not drink and ride a motorcycle. If you are driving sober late at night when the bars are letting out and there is a higher possibility of encountering a drunk driver, exercise as much caution as possible.
- Riding a motorcycle on rural West Virginia roads. Your risk of dying in a crash increase greatly when you ride on rural roads, which oddly enough have higher death rates from auto accidents as urban roads do. Rural roads tend to have far less traffic on their winding, two-lane roads which can lead to excessive speeds and more accidents. According to the International Road Traffic Accident Database, more people are killed in motorcycle crashes on rural roads now than 20 years ago, and roughly half of all crashes take place on rural roads.
- Riding in city traffic. Whether navigating the narrow streets in Georgetown or crossing the 14th Street Bridge, when you are riding a motorcycle in the city your first order of business is to make sure that you can be seen by other drivers. The key to driving safely in the city is to ride is to make yourself as visible as possible, and be aware of everything going on around you.
If you want the best chance at avoiding a life-altering injury,, make sure to wear a helmet. The NHTSA reports that overall only 60 percent of motorcycle riders wear a helmet, however in states where helmet use is required about 89 percent of riders wear helmets. When you consider the fact that more than 80 percent of all motorcycle crashed result in injury or death to the motorcyclist, and wearing a helmet reduces the risk of death in an accident by more than 29 percent. Wearing reflective stickers and bright colors on your helmet and jacket help you to be more visible to driver of other vehicles.
Christopher T. Nace works in all practice areas of the firm, including medical malpractice, birth injury, drug and product liability, motor vehicle accidents, wrongful death, and other negligence and personal injury matters.
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