Motorcycle crashes in Texas and across the nation are a matter of primary concern to riders, their families, insurers, and government officials because more than 90% of these accidents lead to personal injury or death. Specifically, over 98% of motorcycle collisions with other vehicles and 95% of single-vehicle motorcycle accidents cause some type of injury to the rider. Around Houston our motorcycle injury attorneys caution that 45% of those injuries are serious or life threatening. Crash data shows that fatal motorcycle accidents are on the rise across the United States. TxDOT data indicates that in Texas alone, the rate of fatal crashes has gone up by 83% in the last few years.
Contrary to the belief of many who drive other types of vehicles, most motorcycle accidents are NOT the rider’s fault. In Houston, about 75% of bike crashes involve at least one other vehicle. And 66% of those crashes happen because the driver of the other vehicle violates the motorcyclist’s right-of-way.
The popularity of motorcycles continues to grow, both as recreational vehicles and as gas-saving transportation. As the number of riders has climbed, our Houston motorcycle injury attorneys point out that the number of motorcycle accident fatalities has skyrocketed. The number of fatal bike crashes rose 127% from 1997 to 2006. During that same time period, the number of fatal car accidents decreased steadily to new lows that had not been seen in decades. Unfortunately that trend for car occupants did not last. We note that in the last two years, the numbers for all types of fatal accidents has begun to rise again.
The Houston motorcycle injury attorneys at Denena Points, PC know that bikes are much less crashworthy for their riders than enclosed vehicles are for their occupants. Bikers are far more likely to be ejected from their vehicle in a crash, and without the protection of an enclosed vehicle, they take the full force of the impact.
Motorcycles are also less visible to drivers of larger vehicles, and those drivers chronically underestimate the bikes’ distance from them when they do actually notice the smaller vehicles. This results in drivers failing to yield to bikes and to serious crashes as cars and trucks suddenly turn in front of them.
As an example, on Sunday night in Jonesboro, Arkansas, a motorcyclist and his passenger were killed when a truck driver suddenly turned left in front of them and caused the crash. Brandon Langston and Leah Shelby died in the tragic bike crash in Jonesboro. The truck driver was not injured. (Source: kait8.com, 9/23/13)
Two-wheeled vehicles are also less stable than four-wheeled vehicles, making riders more vulnerable to crashes from road conditions, debris in the road, weather, and loss of vehicle control on curves and when making evasive maneuvers in traffic.
Our Houston motorcycle injury attorneys understand that operating a motorcycle is more complex and demanding than driving a car, and requires a different combination of mental and physical skills. Bikers have to be more alert at all times to the dangers posed by drivers who remain oblivious to their presence in traffic. Drivers of larger vehicles could help reduce the numbers of bike crashes by remaining more alert for the presence of smaller vehicles on the roads.
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