Motorcycles are a popular conveyance form. Many individuals around the country own them and use them as their favorite way to get around. It’s fun to hop on a motorcycle and feel the wind rushing past your face.
It’s a different experience than being in a car, but while motorcycle riding provides a thrill, it’s also inherently perilous. Nothing separates rider and pavement, and accidents happen often.
We’ll go over some of the common motorcycle accident causes and how you can avoid them.
Drinking and Riding
Alcohol plays a part in many motorcycle accidents. A drunk driver in a vehicle can hit a rider, or the rider may be the one who imbibed alcohol before they decided to test their luck on the streets or highways. If you drink before you operate a motorcycle:
- Your reflexes are not as good as they usually are
- You might have more severe impairment than you realize
In most of this country’s jurisdictions, if you have a 0.8 blood alcohol concentration or more, that’s impairment. The best rule to avoid such accidents is to never drink and operate a motorcycle.
If you’re drinking at a bar or a friend’s house, and you rode your motorcycle there, leave it and take public transportation home. You could also call for a ride share vehicle or ask a friend to drive you. You can come back and retrieve your motorcycle later.
You can save your life through this one action.
Mechanical Issues
You might also get in a motorcycle wreck because of a mechanical issue. You might deal with:
- A defective part
- A mechanical defect
While you’re riding, a malfunction might cause an accident. If something goes wrong when you’re in your car, maybe the check engine light will come on, or the vehicle will start to struggle or smoke. You can pull over and use a smartphone to call a tow truck.
If you’re riding a motorcycle, and there’s a mechanical issue, it could spell trouble if you’re traveling down a highway at high speed. Hopefully, you can get the motorcycle under control and pull it over before you hurt yourself.
The way to avoid this is to use quality motorcycle components and to get regular inspections.
Ignoring Traffic Laws
Some people feel like motorcycle riders exhibit reckless behavior. Some of them do, but others always follow traffic laws.
Though people shouldn’t generalize the individuals who ride motorcycles, it is true that some of them disregard certain traffic laws because they’re operating smaller vehicles. For instance, if you’re on the highway on a motorcycle, you can weave in between cars and around them.
You are not supposed to do that sort of thing. You can distract a driver who might accidentally hit you. Since the car is much bigger than you, you’re going to get the worst end of that.
The way to avoid these sorts of problems is to follow all traffic laws, just like cars do. Don’t act recklessly just because you’re on a motorcycle. When you do, you endanger yourself, and you also reinforce the reckless motorcycle rider stereotype.
Distracted Drivers
Distracted drivers also cause motorcycle accidents. Maybe a vehicle operator wants to adjust their satellite radio station, or they’re trying to text while driving. Perhaps they’re discussing something with a passenger, or they’re having a Bluetooth conversation.
When you operate a motorcycle, cars are bigger than you, and they take up more space. If you ride close to one, and you’re dealing with a distracted driver, they might not see you in time. They could nudge you off the road or cause you to lose control.
You can avoid this by giving cars a wide berth. Stay either a good distance ahead of one or behind it, and do all you can to make sure the driver sees you.
Poor Road or Weather Conditions
One final reason you might get in a motorcycle accident is that you might have poor weather or road conditions. You might go out when it’s raining, and you lose control on a slick road surface. If there’s thick fog, maybe you’ll hit something you didn’t see in time.
You might hit a chewed-up road surface and lose control. You can fly off your motorcycle or go into a skid.
You can avoid going out when there are poor weather conditions, and you can try to stay away from badly-maintained road surfaces. Follow all our tips, and you should get to where you’re going safely.
