Motorcycle Accident Statistics | DENENA | POINTS

Motorcycle Accident Statistics

Our Houston motorcycle accident attorneys replay that your chances of serious injury or death depend in part on your age, your speed at the time of the accident, whether or not you are wearing a helmet, other driver’s behaviors, and other factors. According to TxDOT data, the largest numbers of fatal and serious injury motorcycle accidents affect riders and passengers between ages 19 and 53. (Motorcyclist Fatalities and Injuries by Age Group and Helmet Use, 2012)

From ages 19 to about 30, about twice as many of the injured and killed motorcyclists were wearing helmets at the time of the accidents, which indicates that speed and/or rider inexperience contributed to the crashes. After about age 31, the statistics show that about twice as many motorcyclists who were injured or killed in the wrecks were not wearing helmets.

Motorcycles, unlike enclosed vehicles, don’t offer their riders much protection in the event of a crash. And about 98% of multi-vehicle motorcycle accidents result in motorcyclist injuries. Around 95% of single-vehicle motorcycle wrecks injure the rider. And our Houston motorcycle accident attorneys caution that nearly 50% of the injuries incurred are severe or life threatening.

Houston Motorcycle Crash Stats

In Houston, around 75% of motorcycle crashes involve another vehicle, and as news reports often indicate, about two-thirds of these collisions occur because the other vehicle violated the motorcyclist’s right of way. We have discussed the causes for these right of way violations on several occasions. Many are because drivers of larger vehicles who see the motorcycle think it’s farther away than it actually is. Many others occur because the drivers, keeping their attention on vehicles their own size or larger, fail to perceive the approaching bike altogether.

As an example of the severity of multi-vehicle motorcycle collisions, on Friday afternoon just after 1 p.m., a major multi-vehicle collision involving 4 vehicles, including a motorcycle, occurred on I-10 at the Grand Parkway. The crash was so severe that debris was scattered across the entire highway, and four lanes of the Katy Freeway were shut down for hours as authorities investigated and cleared the scene. Life Flight airlifted victims to the hospital after the major crash. Authorities did not relate details of the severe I-10 collision. (Heather Alexander, Houston Chronicle, 1/10/14) Our hearts and prayers are with the accident victims and their families.

Don’t hesitate to contact us for a free, no-obligation initial legal consultation at 713-807-9500 or through our online contact form if you require experienced legal counsel after your accident injury.