Common Causes of Motorcycle Accidents

Motorcycle accidents can be traumatic and tragic events.  The stats speak for themselves. Serious bodily harm and even death are often the result of a motorcycle accident.  Of the accidents that do occur, approximately 1 out of every 5 is actually lucky enough to come out of the ordeal with just minor bumps and bruises. The lack of a protective barrier between the driver and the road ultimately leaves motorcyclists in a very vulnerable position. There are many common causes of motorcycle accidents, one of the most predominant ones are other motorists (cars, trucks) not seeing or recognizing motorcycles in dense traffic.

Several reports lend support to this claim as they suggest that virtually 2/3's of all accidents involving a motorcycle and another motor vehicle are a direct result of a motorist in the car turning into the lane of a motorcycle and violating the motorcyclist's right of way. It has also been suggested that motorcyclists are 27 times more likely to die in a collision than are passengers of the other motor vehicle and they are also five times more likely to sustain some injury. One can see then, the devastating effects of car-motorcycle collisions.

There are many other types of motorcycle collisions that occur quite frequently.  One in particular is riders who are inexperienced and simply do not know the limitations of their motorcycle and tend to push the limits. This brings about another common cause of motorcycle accidents. Of course, speeding is not solely restricted to new and young motorcyclists, as often older and more experienced drivers are also guilty of operating their bikes beyond the legal maximum speed. Many motorcyclists love the feel of the wind blowing through their hair, the freedom of the open road and the thrill of going so fast at a mere few inches from the asphalt but, traveling at velocities over the speed limit can have dire consequences. A simple slip of the wheel or unexpected obstacle in front of the motorcycle can send the driver reeling out of control. Thus, speeding can be very dangerous and is often the cause of motorcycle accidents.

Another common cause of motorcycle accidents is a result of the motorcyclist's negligence. In cases where the accident does not involve another vehicle, the failure of the motorcyclist to slow down when cornering or simply under-cornering as well as over braking in some instances. There are many additional agents that could cause bodily harm after the initial accident also. Fuel leakage and spills in the post-crash phase can introduce a fire hazard and are common in approximately 60 percent of all accidents sites.