Motorcycle accidents
Motorcycle riding is one of the more exhilarating experiences a person can enjoy, but it also can be one of the most dangerous. According to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration, motorcyclists are about 27 times as likely as passenger car occupants to die in a motor vehicle traffic crash and six times as likely to be injured. In the Chicago area, motorcyclists also face the challenges of increased traffic congestion, aggressive drivers, potholes, and substandard road conditions.
Yet the biggest threat to motorcyclists is that automobile and truck drivers simply don’t know how to safely share the road. Too often, a careful motorcyclist is injured by a driver who didn’t see the bike, didn’t realize how close it was, or didn’t consider the speed it was traveling.
The Hurt Report is a landmark study that details the contributing factors to motorcycle accidents, a summary of which can be found here. Some of the key findings include:
- Approximately three-fourths of motorcycle accidents involved collision with another vehicle, which was most commonly a passenger automobile.
- In two-thirds of these multiple-vehicle accidents, the driver of the other vehicle caused the accident by violating the motorcycle’s right-of-way.
- The failure of motorists to detect and recognize motorcycles in traffic is the predominating cause of motorcycle accidents. The driver of the other vehicle involved in the collision with the motorcycle did not see the motorcycle before the collision, or did not see the motorcycle until it was too late to avoid the collision.
- The most frequent accident configuration is the motorcycle proceeding in a straight line when the automobile makes a left turn in front of the oncoming motorcycle.
- Intersections are the most likely place for the motorcycle accident, with the other vehicle violating the motorcycle’s right-of-way, and often violating traffic controls.
- Weather is not a factor in 98 percent of motorcycle accidents.
If you or a loved one are involved in a motorcycle accident, we urge you to contact us to learn your legal rights. The attorneys of Pullano & Karnezis are experts in litigating complex cases involving extensive injury, including severe head trauma and brain injury, bone fractures, soft-tissue trauma, and internal organ damage. We have tried and won dozens of such cases, often with record-breaking financial results.
For more information on motorcycle safety, please visit the Illinois Department of Transportation’s Start Seeing Motorcycles project and the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration’s motorcycle safety program.