What is the Main Cause of Motorcycle Accidents?

Driver error, which causes over 98 percent of the motorcycle crashes in California, is the main cause of motorcycle accidents. Motorcycles make up only a small percentage of vehicle traffic, and they’re small to see, especially in a sea of large vehicles. So, drivers aren’t looking for hard-to-see motorcycles. These facts don’t excuse negligence, or a lack of care. If anything, these facts mean that drivers must slow down and use extra caution.

If negligence caused a motorcycle crash, a Carlsbad motorcycle accident lawyer can obtain the compensation these victims need and deserve. This compensation usually includes money for economic losses, such as medical bills, and noneconomic losses, such as pain and suffering. Attorneys almost always settle motorcycle accident cases out of court. However, remember that if a lawyer settles a claim too quickly, the best evidence, and therefore maximum compensation, may be unavailable.

Motorcycle Crashes and Driver Error

Most people commit one or two driving errors every month. If these mistakes don’t cause crashes, the motorists make more, and more frequent, driving mistakes. Inevitably, a crash happens, especially since SoCal traffic is so heavy.

An Oceanside personal injury attorney handles two basic types of driver error/motorcycle crash cases, as follows:

• Aggressive Driving: This phrase makes many people think of road rage. But in the negligence context, aggressive driving is more like selfish driving. Motorists are in such a hurry to reach tehri destinations, and have so little regard for the safety of other people, that they speed, turn unsafely, ignore traffic control devices, and make other such aggressive driving mistakes.
• Operator Impairment: A car crash is like an exploding stick of dynamite. Many dynamite sticks explode because someone lit a fuse, and many car crashes occur because the driver lit a fuse much earlier, usually before s/he got behind the wheel. Alcohol/drug impairment is the most common kind of driver impairment. This impairment, which includes poor judgment and slow motor skills, kicks in after the first puff, sip, or pill. Excessive fatigue has the same basic effect on the brain and body. Other kinds of driver impairment include driving while sick and while distracted.

A motorcycle is basically a frame, an engine, a seat, and a gas tank. Since these riders have no protection form oncoming cars, the motorcycle rider fatality rate is thirty times higher than the vehicle occupant fatality rate.

Non-Driver Error Causes

Defective products and severe, freak weather events cause most of the other motorcycle crashes that take place in California.

Defective tires are the most common vehicle defects. Even careful and alert drivers lose control of their vehicles when a tire unexpectedly blows out. Because of the extreme danger, most companies are strictly liable for any damages their defective products cause. An Oceanside personal injury lawyer uses negligence, usually ignoring a known risk, to increase the amount of damages.

By freak weather events, we mean things like tornadoes and earthquakes. Everyday bad weather events, like rain, often contribute to motorcycle crashes. But they don’t substantially cause these wrecks.

Work With a Detail-Oriented San Diego County Lawyer

Injury victims are entitled to substantial compensation. For a confidential consultation with an experienced personal injury lawyer in Oceanside, contact the Pursley Law Firm. We routinely handle matters throughout the Golden State.

Source:

drivethru.gsa.gov/DRIVERSAFETY/DistractedDrivingPosterA.pdf