Causes of Motorcycle Accidents

Motorcycle accidents are caused by the same reason as two-vehicle passenger accidents, for the most part. However, since motorcycles are smaller, they’re even easier to miss—making them even more vulnerable to negligent drivers. Common causes of motorcycle accidents include:

• Distracted drivers: It only takes a few seconds of driving while distracted and looking away from the road to cause an accident. Drivers who text, daydream or don’t check their mirrors frequently can and likely will cause an accident at some point in their lives. 
• Drunk or high drivers: Driving while impaired causes a severe decrease in judgment, reaction time, and decision-making skills. Impaired drivers may drive on the wrong side of the road, follow too closely, run lights or stop signs, or speed. Because of impaired vision, they may not even see a motorcyclist they’re about to hit. 
• Inexperienced drivers: New drivers don’t have as much experience checking their surroundings constantly and may make maneuvers that put bikers in danger. 
• Speeding and aggressive driving: Speeding drivers cause accidents because they don’t have enough time to adapt to changes in traffic. Aggressive drivers may make unsafe maneuvers simply because they’re annoyed or angry. 
• Following too close: When drivers follow a motorcyclist too close, they reduce the time they have to react to changes in traffic. If they don’t have the time to stop when a motorcyclist stops abruptly in front of them, they’re likely to cause a rear-end accident. 
• Improper lane changes: Improper lane changing is often a result of another problem, such as inexperience, aggression, or an impaired driver. If a driver doesn’t check before changing lanes or attempts to speed up and change lanes anyways, they could sideswipe a motorcyclist. 
• Car-door opening: If a driver is parked on the side of the road and they don’t check before opening the door to their vehicle, they may open their door into a motorcyclist or open it without giving the motorcyclist enough time to change course. 
• Left-turns: At left-turn yields, drivers may fail to see an approaching motorcyclist. If the motorcyclist doesn't have time to change course, they could hit the side of the vehicle head-on, or the front of the vehicle could hit their side.

Injuries Caused by Motorcycle Accidents

Injuries from motorcycle accidents often lean more severe because of the lack of protection for riders. Injuries occur when a rider is thrown from the bike or pinned between their bike and another vehicle or object. Because of this, injuries are more common in the extremities and mid-section. However, when thrown from a bike, injuries can occur anywhere. 

Severe injuries of any type can cause high medical bills, a great change to one’s quality of life, job loss, and much more. While the pain of an injury obviously sits at the forefront, there are so many other consequences people don’t realize. With Osborne and Francis, we’ll be able to help you get compensation for all of your damages, not just your medical bills. 

Common injuries associated with motorcycle accidents include:

• Traumatic brain injury 
• Spinal cord injuries
• Back and neck injuries
• Broken bones and fractures
• Soft tissue injuries
• Internal injuries
• Burns and road rash
• Amputations