This Blog was posted By The Carabin & Shaw Law Firm. principle Office in San Antonio, Texas
Motorcycle Accidents Have Many Different Causes
Each year thousands of people are killed and many thousands are injured in motorcycle crashes. The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates that per mile traveled, the number of deaths on motorcycles was about 35 times the number in cars. The single greatest cause of motorcycle collisions, accounting for more than 70 percent of collisions with other vehicles, is a driver’s failure to see the motorcyclist, because of darkness or heavy traffic, or other conditions of low visibility, as well as pulling out or turning in front of a motorcyclist.
Other causes of motorcycle crashes include unsafe conditions on the roadway, such as debris in the road, severe unevenness in the roadbed, and pits and potholes in the roadbed. Excessive speed leads to many crashes. At high speed a motorcycle’s alignment is disrupted, causing the front wheel and steering mechanism to wobble. When this happens the motorcyclist has less control over his bike and is at risk of colliding with other vehicles, guard rails, or other stationary objects. The higher a motorcycle’s speed at the time of a collision, the harder the driver’s impact when he hits the pavement or anything else.
Undivided roadways and rural roads were the sites of the greatest number of fatal collisions. Driving at night is particularly dangerous for motorcyclists; 60 percent of fatal crashes occurred at night. Failure to wear a protective helmet was a factor in a large number of fatal motorcycle collisions. Please find more information on this website here @ http://accident-lawyers-dallas.com/
In contrast to cars and trucks, motorcycles provide virtually no protection in a crash. An automobile or a truck provides structural protection in the form of a steel cage surrounding the occupants, and passenger restraint systems like seatbelts and airbags. Cars and trucks also have greater stability because they ride on four wheels.
Even when motorcyclists and their passengers wear helmets and protective clothing, they may suffer injuries that result from faulty highway design or from defects in safety equipment. Some motorcycle injuries and fatalities are caused by malfunction of the motorcycle or poor vehicle design.
For anyone owning and operating a motorcycle, safety should be an extremely important concern. Wearing a helmet is the single most effective measure for motorcyclists and their passengers to increase their odds of surviving a collision, and to reduce the risk of a traumatic brain injury. Twenty states and the District of Columbia have helmet laws covering all riders, and 27 states have laws covering some riders, usually people younger than 21. Illinois, Iowa, and New Hampshire do not have helmet laws.
