Motorbikes are some of the most dangerous vehicles on the road. Don’t let their small size catch you off guard. In 2010, over 4,500 people were killed in motorbike accidents. But with the increasing number of people still buying motorcycles, despite the warning against them, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has indicated that the death rate could increase fast.
In fact, according to studies, the likelihood of getting killed in a road accident is 5.5 times higher than a standard four-wheel vehicle. But you cannot blame those who prefer to ride motorcycles instead of driving a car. The increasing fuel prices can be overwhelming, and those who are having a hard time tighten their monthly budget, are more inclined to use motorcycles instead of a four-wheeled vehicles. The problem is, if you do not abide by the traffic lose your concentration for even one second, you can die or end up getting seriously injured in a car accident.
Major Causes of Bike Accidents
There are a lot of reasons why accidents happen. In some cases, the drivers themselves can’t tell how it happened. This is because accidents usually happens in an instant, and they usually occurs when you least expect them. One of the major causes of bike accidents is due to the driver’s failure to detect the bike. Motorcycles are small and some bike drivers like to swoop in an out of traffic to avoid the accident.
Another major cause of bike accidents is attempting to beat the red light. We have all seen this in traffic surveillance cameras nationwide wherein the traffic light signals stop and then the motorbike coming out of nowhere will swoop in and try to beat the red light. In such a case, a devastating collision could easily happen.
Drunk driving among motorcyclists is also another major cause of bike accidents. Whenever you set foot on a bike, you are at risk of getting into an accident. Now, if you drink and drive a motorcycle, you are ten times more likely to get involved in an accident than when you are sober. Alcohol can impair your driving as some of your senses are slow to respond; like hearing and seeing clearly, and your ability to react instantly in a sudden event is significantly slower than if you were sober. Alcohol, motorbikes, and over speeding is a lethal combination.
Common Bike Accident Injuries
Bike accidents are almost always accompanied by injuries. In fact, bike riders are more exposed to bodily injuries than those riding ordinary passenger vehicles. Broken bones are the most common bike accident injury of all because in almost all cases, the driver of the bike gets thrown away from their bikes because of the impact. Since nothing covers your body, and there’s not much to hold on to, the impact of the accident can throw you a few feet away from your bike. Another common bike accident injury is a brain injury. Bike helmets can prevent this fatal injury from occurring, but studies show that not everyone who rides a motorcycle wears their helmet properly. Not wearing your helmet properly is equivalent to not wearing your helmet at all. Spine and organ injuries are also very common with bike accidents. Spinal injuries can lead to permanent disability. So you always have to be careful when riding or driving a motorcycle.
