Motorcycle crashes are common nowadays, and you know how serious it can be. On the contrary, riding a motorcycle can also be fun. Therefore, it is important that you know the most common causes and take precautions. After all, prevention is better than cure, and the fast you act the better. Below are seven most common causes of motorcycle crashes.
- Accidents Caused by Left Turning Cars
42% of motorcycle crashes involve motorcycles and cars. Usually, it’s the sudden left turning of cars that brings the confusion. Always, the turning car will crash the motorcycle when it’s:
- Passing a car
- Overtaking a car
- Moving straight through an intersection
To avoid such accidents, you need to be keen on the road and anticipate the other driver’s move. For instance, can you detect if the driver is going to make a left-hand turn? Are you riding on the rightful lane? It will help you reduce such cases of accidents.
- Lane Switching Motorcycle Crashes
This is another common type of motorcycle crashes, especially in cities. In this case, a car will merge into your lane without noticing you. Usually, this type of accident is common on four lane roads. You can prevent it by ensuring that you can see the car’s mirrors; this will help you know every decision the driver is making and also make the driver see you.
- Head-On Collision Motorcycle Accidents
56% accounts for the deaths resulting from crashes involving vehicles and motorcycles. These accidents occur 78% of the time when the vehicles strike a motorcycle head-on. Sadly, these accidents mostly affect the motorcyclist more than the car driver. To avoid such accidents, you should:
- Reduce your speed
- Read the road ahead
- Ride off the road
- Drive to the right
- Excessive Rates of Speed
Excessive rates of speed may mean traveling in excess of the given speed limits. For instance, if the road signs indicate that you should be riding at 50km/hour but you ride at100km/hour, then you’re riding in excess of the posted speed limit. 34% of motorcycle crashes was considered as a result of speed in 2013.
- Alcohol Cases
Alcohol is known to impair judgement. So, even one bottle of beer can hugely affect your concentration on the road. It’s reported that nearly 40% of motorcycle crashes involved consumption of alcohol in 2013. Victims of motorcycle accidents that have sustained injuries and other damages can file a claim. This is the expertise of a motorcycle accident lawyer.
- Inattentive Driving
Most common accidents are also as a result of carelessness. For instance, a driver may ride into a motorcycle when he or she wasn’t paying attention on the road; maybe he was texting or browsing while driving. In most of the countries, it’s law that you shouldn’t use your phone while driving or riding.
- Corner Turning Accidents
Corners are dangerous spots, especially to motorcyclists. Motorcycles may have a lot of control, but it could be difficult to compensate an error when in a turn. To avoid such an accident, you need to ride at a speed that you’ll be able to slow down when you see a tight corner.
Wrap Up
Motorcycle crashes are overwhelmingly increasing and it should be a concern. Unsurprisingly, in most cases, it is the motorcyclists that get extremely injured on such occasions. Therefore, it is important to take prevention measures (like the ones listed above) and if you’re a victim of such accidents, it’s best to contact a motorcycle accident lawyer or a professional attorney for motorcycle accidents.
