Motorcycle Accidents
Crashes with motorcycles are not rare events
- particularly among some beginning riders. And one out of
every five
motorcycle crashes are shown to result in head or neck
injuries. Head
accident injuries are just as severe in motorcycle craches
as neck
injuries - and far more common. Crash analysis of a motorcycle
shows
that head and neck injuries account for a great majority
of serious and
fatal injuries to motorcyclists. Research with motorcycles
also shows
that, with few exceptions, head and neck injuries are reduced
by the
proper wearing of an approved head helmet.
Motorcycle accidents can be caused by:
Drunk driving
Aggressive driving
Poor road conditions
Traffic congestion
Disregard of driving laws right of way
Motorcycle signaling error
Auto car driver negligence
Some riders do not wear helmets because they think helmets will limit their view to the sides. Others wear helmets only on long trips or when riding at high speeds. An approved helmet lets you see as far to the sides as necessary. A study of more than 900 motorcycle crashes, where 40% of the riders wore helmets, did not find even one case in which a helmet kept a rider from spotting danger.
Most crashes happen on short trips (less than five miles long), just
a
few minutes after starting out. Most riders are riding
slower than 30
mph when a crash occurs. At these speeds, helmets can cut
both the
number and the severity of head injuries by half. No matter
what the
speed, helmeted riders are three times more likely to survive
head
injuries than those not wearing helmets at the time of
the crash. Almost
every single motorcycle injury accident ends up in injury
so the damages
experienced can be extensive.