Unsafe drivers who cause motorcycle accidents may be held liable to compensate their victims for their injuries. The injuries from a motorcycle accident can be extensive which is why motorcycle accident victims have important legal protections available to them.
Share the road
Motorcyclists are extremely vulnerable in any traffic accident. Drivers of passenger vehicles and trucks must safely share the road with them to help prevent motorcycle crashes. There are several safety tips drivers can follow to help keep the roadways safe to share with motorcycles. Motorcycles operate differently in many ways than passenger vehicles and it is helpful to begin by keeping that in mind.
Drivers should always allow motorcyclists to use their complete lane of traffic and should never attempt to share a lane with a motorcycle. Drivers should always double-check for motorcycles around them, especially when turning left or entering an intersection. A driver failing to yield the right of way to a motorcyclist is the most common driver error that leads to motorcycle accidents involving another vehicle.
In addition, drivers should always be looking around them and scanning the roadways for motorcycles which are smaller visual targets that may be missed by inattentive drivers. Motorcycles accelerate, turn and stop quicker than other types of vehicles. In bad weather or on a poor road surface, this can make the motorcycle unstable. For that reason, drivers should always increase their following distance behind motorcycles to allow the motorcyclist additional time to respond to roadway changes.
When drivers don’t exercise care to protect motorcycle riders, it can lead to accidents. A personal injury claim for damages may be able to help motorcycle accident victims after the accident if they have been injured by a negligent driver on the road.
