Motorcyclists must be cautious when they take their motorcycles out for rides because one mistake could lead to severe injuries with long-term consequences. Motorcycles do not provide the same level of protection as other vehicles like cars, trucks, and buses.
To prevent a high-speed collision, motorcyclists must follow safety tips like getting safety training, wearing proper protective gear, remaining alert while riding, and following road rules.
Exercising caution while riding a motorcycle can help a motorcyclist avoid disaster in the form of a motorcycle accident. They must stay aware of how they are riding and how other drivers operate their vehicles.
Distracted, drunk, and speeding drivers can often cause motorcycle accidents by failing to adjust how they drive to keep a motorcyclist safe. If you are involved in a motorcycle accident caused by another driver’s negligence, you could file a motorcycle accident claim with their insurance company to pursue compensation for damages.
Receive Motorcycle Safety Training
One of the most critical steps you should take to prevent a motorcycle accident is to take safety training. Many motorcycle training schools offer short training seminars to teach motorcyclists how to avoid crashes and safely operate their vehicles. Controlling a motorcycle is complicated, so it’s essential to receive the proper training before setting out for a ride.
Motorcycle safety courses can teach crucial facets of operating a motorcycle, such as emergency braking, shifting gears, maneuvering objects, and U-turning. After learning defensive riding techniques, a motorcyclist will have more knowledge on how to handle themselves while on a ride and the best way to avoid catastrophic motorcycle accidents.
Wear Proper Gear to Protect Yourself
Motorcyclists can protect themselves during a motorcycle accident by wearing the proper gear. If a motorcycle accident occurs, protective gear can help mitigate severe motorcycle accident injuries.
For example, many motorcycle accident victims suffer traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) from head trauma. Wearing a helmet can help protect a motorcyclist’s brain and skull from suffering significant damage that can lead to a concussion, contusion, or coup-contrecoup brain injury.
While not all states require helmets, motorcyclists should always opt to wear one to help prevent the life-altering consequences of a motorcycle brain injury.
The following are some other protective gear that can help with motorcycle safety:
- Heavy duty jacket
- Gloves
- Eye protection
- Heavy duty pants
- Bright clothing can make a motorcyclist stand out from other drivers
Stay Alert While Riding Your Motorcycle
Motorcyclists can become distracted while they ride and cause a motorcycle accident, much like distracted drivers can expose others to harm. Manual, visual, cognitive, and auditory distractions can take a motorcycle rider’s focus off operating their vehicle safely. Taking your eyes off the road for even a split second can lead to you missing an obstacle, car, or traffic control signal.
Remaining focused on the road is particularly essential at intersections, as riding distracted through multiple lanes of traffic can lead to an accident. Intersections have traffic control signals that each lane has the ability to advance through the intersection. A motorcyclist that fails to pay attention at an intersection can ride right in front of a car passing through, leading to an intersection crash.
To prevent a motorcycle accident, riders must stay focused on the task at hand. They should pay attention to the flow of traffic and obstacles that can come their way to avoid a motorcycle accident and keep others around them safe.
Avoid Using Alcohol and Drugs Before Riding a Motorcycle
Drunk driving is a dangerous, negligent driving action that can also affect motorcyclists. Drinking alcohol, using drugs, or taking prescription medication can worsen a person’s decision-making, judgment, focus, and vision. Drunk motorcyclists can make mistakes when riding, like misjudging space between them and a car, going above the speed limit, running a red light, etc.
About 28% of motorcycle accidents involve a rider whose alcohol-impaired. Drunk motorcyclists can expose others around them to harm and cause a motorcycle accident they can be held liable for. Avoid riding a motorcycle after using alcohol, drugs, and medications that can lower your cognitive functioning.
Follow Your State’s Motorcycle Accident Laws
Each state has specific laws for motorcycle riders to follow. These laws help protect motorcyclists and other drivers from negligent actions that can cause a motorcycle accident. Before going out for a motorcycle ride, it’s important to have a full understanding of your state’s motorcycle law to ensure you do not behave in a way that can expose others to harm.
Motorcycle accident laws can include rules about wearing a helmet, where a motorcyclist can ride, and whether lane-splitting is legal.
How Can a Motorcycle Accident Lawyer Help With Your Claim?
Motorcycle accident victims can suffer damages, such as medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering, that they could pursue compensation for by filing a motorcycle accident claim. While they could handle the claim process alone, their inexperience can lead to a mistake the at-fault party’s insurance company can use to deny, delay, or devalue their claim.
The best path to recovering fair compensatory damages is by hiring a motorcycle accident lawyer. They have experience litigating these claims, know how insurance companies will try to limit your settlement and can advise you on the best steps to take to recover economic and non-economic damages.
They can help you calculate the value of your motorcycle accident damages, gather evidence, speak to eyewitnesses and expert witnesses, negotiate a settlement, and represent you in court.
Contact The Russo Firm for Help With Your Motorcycle Accident Claim
The motorcycle accident lawyers at The Russo Firm can help you recover compensation for damages in the aftermath of a motorcycle accident. We understand how a motorcycle accident victim can suffer economic damages from medical bills, property damage, and wage-based losses.
Our motorcycle accident lawyers can also help you calculate fair compensation for non-economic damages that affect your quality of life, like pain and suffering, loss of consortium, and loss of enjoyment of life.
Contact us today to learn how our motorcycle accident lawyers can craft a legal counsel plan catered to the specifics of your case. We offer free consultations to show potential clients how we can help them recover fair compensatory damages. Contact us today at (561) 270-0913 or leave a message on our online contact page.
