While riding a motorcycle is fun, being involved in an accident can result in serious injuries or death.
State by state, the number of bikers meeting their death on the road is on the rise. In fact, one state, Indiana, recently completed a comprehensive survey of the number of motorcycle accidents in 2012.
In 2011, 118 were killed on the road. In 2012, that number was 152 – a cause for concern for traffic safety officials in Indiana, but also a bellwether for other states. Across the nation the death toll for bikers was 2,850 in 2011 and 2,935 in 2012.
There are several things at the top of the list when it looking at what causes motorcycle accidents. The most likely culprit is alcohol consumption, either by the bike rider or by an automobile or tuck driver who hits them. Another issues which causes the majority of accidents is motorcycle riders who hit the road while not legal to ride – they took no training and had no proper motorcycle endorsement on their license. They just hopped on their ride and took it out on the road.
With the price of gas slowly creeping up in response to the warmer weather, more people are opting to buy motorcycles, because they are easy on gas, compact, responsive, take up less space and go fast – all factors that make them virtually sitting ducks on the road. Drivers just do not see them.
While it is a fact that bikers may be their own worst enemy when it comes to riding safely, other statistics show that the cause of most accidents between a biker and another vehicle is the driver making a sudden and unexpected move in front of the motorcycle rider. For instance, a left hand turn, a lane change without looking or crossing right in front of an oncoming rider.
It has also been recently demonstrated that drivers have a poor sense of judgment when it comes to determining how fast a biker is going and how much time they have to drive in front of them. This has something to do with the brain’s spatial abilities.
Riders that have been involved in an accident with another vehicle and survive the injuries need expert legal counsel to obtain fair and just compensation. If you have been injured in a Georgia motorcycle accident, contact an Atlanta personal injury attorney for help.
Stephen M. Ozcomert is an experienced motorcycle accident lawyer in Atlanta Georgia. To learn more, visit http://www.ozcomert.com/ or call (404)-370-1000.