Indiana Injury Lawyer Blog
With the warm weather months upon us, many of you have jumped at the chance to hit the open road on your motorcycle. While it is a great time of year to enjoy motorcycle riding, everyone must keep in mind the additional safety concerns that are associated with motorcycle use. With this in mind, Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels declared the month of May as Motorcycle Safety and Awareness Month in Tippecanoe County.
Motorcycles continue to rise in popularity as more and more motorcyclists can be spotted using the highways around Indiana. With the popularity of motorcycles seeming to be at an all-time high, now more than ever it is essential for people to be aware of motorcycle safety. The Indiana Department of Education reports an 80% chance of injury if a motorcycle is involved in a crash and that a crash involving a motorcycle with an automobile, the possibility of severe injury or death is 29 times higher for the motorcyclist compared to the driver of the automobile. The best ways to serious or fatal motorcycle accidents are: (1) responsible driving by both motorcycle drivers and automobile drivers, (2) making sure you use the necessary protective equipment, and (3) making sure you are properly trained and licensed to operate a motorcycle.
It is vital that automobile and motorcycle drivers are aware of one another on the roadways. One study showed that in two-thirds of multiple-vehicle accidents, the motorcyclist’s right-of-way was violated by the driver of the other vehicle. Most of the time these accidents are simply caused by the automobile driver’s failure to notice the motorcycle driver in traffic or failing to notice the motorcycle driver until it was too late to avoid a collision.