Personal Injury Law

Share the road with motorcycles

By Ryan Bradley, Esq.

As the weather begins to warm up, more and more motorcyclists are hitting the road. Unfortunately, this also means we will start to see more motorcycle injury accidents on local highways. Already, there have been dozens of accidents with most of them resulting in serious injury or even death.

The dangers of motorcycle riding are obvious. Without the protection provided by the body of a car, motorcycle riders are particularly vulnerable in crashes. Helmets offer some protection, but if thrown from a bike at high speeds, serious injury is almost inevitable.

In addition to being more vulnerable in a crash, motorcycle riders are also at a disadvantage because their smaller size often leads to other drivers overlooking them on the roadway and causing a crash.

Here are some tips to help us all avoid more serious Missouri motorcycle crashes:

-Drivers need to be on the lookout for motorcycles. They are smaller and harder to spot, but they share the road with larger passenger cars all the time. It is everyone's responsibility to be looking out for one another.

-Since motorcycles are smaller and generally only have one headlight, their speed and distance may be harder to judge. Other drivers need to be aware of this and take this into account on the roadways.

-Give motorcyclists plenty of space when following them and make sure to check your blind spots when changing lanes. This is just safe driving in general, but worth mentioning again here because of the vulnerability of motorcyclists.

-Motorcycle riders need to take responsibility for their own safety. Too many times we see fatal motorcycle accidents caused by a rider speeding negligently down the highway or weaving his way in and out of traffic. Also, no matter what state you are in and what laws exist at the time, please, wear a helmet.

Full post as published by Missouri Accident Lawyer Blog on April 13, 2010 (boomark / email).