No matter the vehicle you choose, there is always the possibility that you might become part of an accident. We can be alert, drive defensively, and ultimately, someone else might come along and mess it up for the rest of us. Many of these potential crashes will be small; an inconvenient fender bender. However, if you’re riding on a motorcycle— a fender bender can be cause for pretty serious injury. A motorcycle accident is almost always very serious, and there are plenty of reasons that they might occur. Whether it was no fault of their own, the result of a slow reaction time, or incorrect gear… You can’t prevent every accident. However, there are a few preventative measures you can take to make sure you’re as safe as possible.
Serious Injury in Motorcycle Accident: Common Causes
Lack of helmet
Depending on where you live, motorcycle helmet laws might not be fully intact. Therefore, maybe you think that you can skip it. While the law might allow for you to do so, the pavement is not so forgiving. Most riders, or their spouses, will insist on wearing some sort of protection; not doing so can have some pretty serious implications. If you are involved in an accident where you are thrown from the bike and land on your head— you will likely face some sort of injury, regardless of how protected you are. However, wearing no hemet at all has a very high chance of being fatal on this occasion.
New drivers
The NCDOT has a statistic on new motorcycle drivers which essentially states that a driver within their first month is at the highest risk for crash and serious injury. Think about it: you haven’t had as much time to get familiar with the ways in which a motorcycle is different than a car. So, our advice to you is take it slow. You have a lifetime, now, to spend behind the handlebars of a bike. So, ease yourself into those long rides and heavy travel days.
Incorrect, or delayed, braking
Incorrect or untimely braking has been the cause of plenty of accidents. Not just for motorcycles, however, for motorcycles, the risk of injury is much higher than a small fender bender might be for a passenger vehicle. Take for example, a motorcycle is going over a hill and has low-visibility. They’re following a large passenger van closely, and as you both round the top of the hill— boom, there’s stopped traffic. You were following so closely that your bike is now crumpled and you’ve made strong contact with those back doors of the van.
Unforeseen road conditions
Road conditions can change at any time, especially if you live in a state that doesn’t focus so much on repairing those roadways. A rogue pot hole, rock, crack, or uneven pavement, can bring any one of us down at any time. However, those road conditions are pretty tough on motorcycles.
There is always risk…
…and you can’t let that stop you from enjoying your life. But, you can use it as motivation to be as safe as possible. Having your bike go down is unimaginable, and we don’t want this to ever happen. But in the event that it does, we don’t want you to go with it. So, drive safe, smart, and have fun!