Motorcycle Riders are at higher risk – How we help when risk hits home!
Picture this… you’re a motorcycle rider and you’re riding your bike on that first warm spring day of the year. The roads are dry, the sun is high and the air is fresh – you feel like a million bucks! Then you don’t…
An inattentive driver pulls left as they signal right in front of you and even with the roar associated with your motorcycle that driver failed to notice you on your motorcycle. Unfortunately, motorcycle accident statistics reveal that most accidents are caused by such inattentive drivers.
When you’re the motorcycle rider on that bike, there is not much protection between you and “anything” other than your leathers, footwear and helmet. So, you’re going to suffer far more serious injuries than anyone in a car or truck.
Have you or a loved one been in a motorcycle accident?
Call Our Experienced Motorcycle Accident Attorneys
(208) 466-0030 for FREE Legal Advice!
Motorcycle Accidents & Head Trauma go hand in hand!
If you put a lot of miles on your bike, it’s to your advantage to wear protective gear whenever they ride. I know you’ve heard this before but we’ve seen FAR too many serious motorcycle accidents to not say it. There is a higher risk of accidents riding a motorcycle than an automobile – Fact!
Wearing a helmet protects you from serious head and brain injuries. A proper protective suit protects the rest of the body against the most serious of road rash injuries.
One of the most common motorcycle accident injuries is Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI). A traumatic brain injury may affect the brain cells temporarily, but it might also be permanent. Brain injuries can impair people physically, mentally and emotionally. These injuries affect the entire family! Enough can’t be said about the trauma a serious TBI creates. A traumatic brain injury can be anything between a mild concussion to a severe and life-changing brain injury that changes not just a person’s behavior but also their ability to function in everyday life or on a job.
Don’t be a Motorcycle Accident Statistic!
Motorcyclists made up 14% of all traffic fatalities, 17% of all pedestrian fatalities, and 3% of all pedestrian injuries in the United States in 2019. Despite comprising only 3% of all vehicles, motorcycles account for 0.6% of the vehicle miles traveled in the country. The use of helmets has a direct impact on motorcycle fatality trends.
Wearing a motorcycle helmet has been credited with saving more than 25,000 lives since 2002, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two lives were saved in 2017. A helmet could have saved 802 additional lives in 2017 if all motorcyclists had worn one. The effectiveness of motorcycle helmets in preventing fatalities to motorcycle operators and passengers is estimated at 37%, and at 41%.
Based on the National Occupant Protection Use Survey (NOPUS), 70.8% of riders and passengers on motorcycles (both riders and passengers) used helmets that met Department of Transportation (DOT) standards in 2019. In 2002, helmet usage was 53.7%; in 2016, it was 63.5%.
According to the study, DOT-compliant helmets were used significantly more in states with universal laws than in states without (89.2% versus 56.5%). In contrast, states without universal helmet laws have higher use of non-compliant helmets, 14.8%, versus 9.7% in those with universal helmet laws.
How an Idaho Motorcycle Attorney Can Help You as a motorcycle rider
In Idaho personal injury cases involving a motorcycle accident today, injury victims have two years from the date of the accident to file a formal claim or lawsuit. We never recommend that people wait that long. Evidence disappears, memories fade and life moves on.
A person injured in a motorcycle accident should contact the best motorcycle accident attorney they can as soon as possible. Skaug Law’s motorcycle accident attorney team is experienced and will ensure the perseverance of essential evidence, protect your rights and build a winning case.
