TxDOT launched a campaign in recent weeks to try to teach other drivers to look out for motorcycles and yield proper right-of-way to motorcyclists. The campaign was partly prompted by the increase in the numbers of fatal motorcycle accidents over recent years.
But failure to yield the right-of-way by drivers of other vehicles remains a primary cause of fatal motorcycle accidents.
For example, on a recent Sunday the driver of a Hyundai Accent failed to yield the right-of-way to the operator of a Suzuki motorcycle at the intersection of Dumas and Galveston Roads in Houston. The driver of the Hyundai turned in front of the oncoming Suzuki, which crashed into the car. The 27-year-old motorcyclist was pronounced dead the next day at Ben Taub Hospital. The HPD Vehicular Crimes Unit was continuing to investigate the case. (www.yourhoustonnews.com/bay_area/news, 5/21/14) The Houston motorcycle accident attorneys at Denena Points, PC express their deepest sympathies to the family and friends of the motorcyclist.
Over the last couple of decades, the popularity of motorcycles and the numbers of bikes on the road have increased slightly. But motorcycles still represent less than 5% of total vehicles on the road and only about 0.6% of all vehicle miles traveled. Yet motorcyclists accounted for 14% of driver deaths and 16% of passenger traffic deaths in 2010.
In that year, 4,502 motorcycle riders died and 82,000 were injured in bike crashes in the United States, an increase over the numbers of the prior year. Over the prior decade, motorcycle crash deaths increased by a full 41%. This increase occurred even as car accident fatalities were beginning to decline to their lowest levels in decades.
Part of the reason for the disparity in fatal accident rates is that bikers don’t enjoy the protection an enclosed vehicle can provide in a crash. As a result, motorcyclists are 30 times more likely than car occupants to die in a wreck.
A full 39% of the fatal motorcycle crashes in 2010 happened because the driver of an enclosed vehicle failed to the yield right-of-way and suddenly turned left in front of an oncoming bike, similarly to what occurred in the collision at Dumas and Galveston Roads.
All drivers have a legal duty to take due care for the lives and safety of others on the roads with them. If a driver has breached that duty and harmed you or your loved ones, you might be eligible for a full financial recovery for your needless injuries and losses. Contact the experienced Houston motorcycle accident attorneys at Denena Points, PC to learn how.
We always offer you a free initial legal consultation to discuss and evaluate your case. And you have no obligation to hire an attorney. Contact us today to start your FREE consultation by calling 713-807-9500 or filling out our online contact form. Get the help you need now.