You don’t have to like motorcycles or even ride one to realize that the people who operate motorcycles are inherently in a less secure position than almost anyone else on the road. Their vehicles lacking seat belts or airbags or, really, any structural protection of any kind. But that shouldn’t condemn someone who enjoys riding a motorcycle to an injurious fate. If they are involved in an accident and someone else is at fault, that negligent driver isn’t absolved of wrong-doing just because the victim was riding a motorcycle.
Consider some of these figures about motorcycle accidents. In 2012, 4,986 were killed in motorcycles accidents. In 2013, that figure dropped a little bit to 4,668. Those numbers are from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. In addition to these figures, the number of injuries involved in motorcycle accidents dropped from 2012 to 2013.
That’s a good trend, right? Well, though those number should be celebrated, there are other figures that exemplify why motorcyclists are inherently at a greater risk of injury or death than other people on the road.
In 2013, a motorcyclist was 26 times more likely to die in an accident than a car occupant per vehicle mile driven. The injury rate was also high, as motorcyclists were five times as likely to get injured in a wreck than a car occupant per vehicle mile driven.
If you ride a motorcycle, please make sure you always wear your helmet, and do everything you can to operate your vehicle in a safe manner. That last part goes double for drivers of other vehicles, who need to be especially aware of motorcyclists out on the road.
Source: iii.org, “Motorcycle Crashes,” Accessed Feb. 18, 2016