Imagine that you, a friend, or a family member wants to become a motorcycle rider. In such cases, it’ll be wise to know the percentage of motorcycle crashes. With this information, you can take the necessary steps to educate yourself or someone else on motorcycle safety. This way, you can prevent someone from being one of the motorcycle accident statistics.
However, if you ever get hurt in a motorcycle accident, it’ll be best to contact an Atlanta motorcycle accident attorney. A lawyer can help you initiate a personal injury lawsuit. If you win the claim, you can cover all your losses from the crash.
What Are Motorcycle Accidents?
Motorcycle accidents include crashes involving two and three-wheeled motorcycles, pocket bikes, off-road motorcycles, mopeds, scooters, and mini bikes. Conversely, passengers are persons who’re sitting on the bike but aren’t operating it. It isn’t unusual to also have a motorcycle crash with a car or other vehicle.
Furthermore, a motorcycle accident may also involve pedestrians and other road users. The motorcycle rider is the one driving and operating the motorcycle. On the other hand, “motorcyclist” is a general term for both riders and passengers.
Kinds of Motorcycle Accidents
There isn’t only one motorcycle crash type. Common types of motorcycle accidents include:
- Head-on collisions
- Side-swipe crashes
- Lane splitting
- Stationary-accidents
- Hit-and-runs
- High and low side accidents
- Left-turn crashes
All types of motorcycle accidents can leave you with significant injuries such as:
- Broken bones and fractures
- Spinal cord injuries
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Rib fractures and dislocations
- Concussions
- Burns, bruises, and lacerations
- Head injuries
If you sustain any of these injuries after a motorcycle crash, it’ll be best to visit a doctor. Qualified medical personnel can ensure that your injuries don’t get worse. Furthermore, they’ll be providing documentation of the effects of the accidents.
Percentage of Motorcycle Accident Injuries
It’s quite challenging to determine the exact number of motorcycle riders who get into accidents yearly. This is because many bike accidents go unreported. This would include minor accidents and hit-and-run crashes. However, there are some reliable accident statistics.
For instance, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), about 8,596,314 motorcycles were registered in 2019. Out of this number, about 84,000 riders were injured in crashes in the same year. This was a significant 2% increase from the 82,000 injuries recorded in 2018.
Percentage of Motorcycle Crash Deaths
Another important statistic would be motorcycle fatalities. This refers to the number of persons who die from bike accidents yearly. In 2019, about 5,014 motorcyclists were killed in America. This figure accounts for about 14% of the general traffic fatalities.
However, this figure decreased from what it was in 2018 when about 5,038 motorcyclists died. It’s noteworthy that about 30% of riders who died from motorcycle accidents didn’t have a valid motorcycle license.
Motorcycle riders face a higher accident risk. In 2019, 94% of these motorcycle fatalities were riders. Only 6% (281) fatalities were passengers of motorcycles. Finally, 2018 data revealed motorcycle fatalities were more likely to occur between 3 pm and 6 pm. About 641 motorcyclists lost their lives within this time frame, accounting for 24.9% of that year’s fatalities.
Causes of Motorcycle Crashes
You can easily guess the causes of motorcycle accidents. Its causes are similar to those of motor vehicle crashes. They include:
- Driver error
- Aggressive driving
- Drunk driving
- Over-speeding
- Disobeying traffic laws
- Lane splitting
- Bad weather conditions
- Other careless motorists
Motorcycle riders’ accident injuries may be more severe than car crash wounds. This is because motorcycles don’t have the level of protection that cars enjoy. Motorcycles don’t have that protective frame that cars have.
Therefore, riders can easily be thrown off the bike in an accident, causing significant injury or fatality. The injury risk for motorcycles increases where the riders aren’t wearing any helmets. They could hit their heads on the hard road, leading to brain injuries or death.
Georgia’s Best Motorcycle Accident Attorneys Can Help You
Has a motorcycle rider injured you or damaged your property? If yes, there’s a remedy for you. You can sue the fault party and recover damages for all your losses. You shouldn’t have to cover all the out-of-pocket expenses from the crash. However, proceeding against the motorcyclist may be challenging.
Proving fault in a motorcycle crash may be different from establishing the same in a car crash. Therefore, it would be best to hire the best Atlanta motorcycle accident attorneys. Our lawyers at Calvin Smith Law have multiple years of experience working on motorcycle crash claims. We can use this experience to win your case too. So, call us today for a FREE consultation on your case.
