Motorcycle Accident Information & Motorcycle Accident Lawyers In Michigan

In America motorcycle riders make up between two and four percent of the total number of drivers on the road. It is surprising, then, to discover that motorcycle accidents that end in fatalities make up about eight to twelve percent of the total. In 2005 there were 43,510 fatalities in automobile accidents. Out of that, 4,576, or 10.5 percent, were motorcycle related. The number of total accidents nationally decreased in 2006 to 42,642 deaths, but motorcycle accidents increased to 4,810. For the past nine years, the number of motorcycle accident fatalities has risen every year. Michigan differs from national statistics in that the number of fatalities decreased between 2005 and 2006. There were 124 fatal accidents in 2005, which was eleven percent of the total. In 2006 that number decreased to 114 or 10.5 percent.

Michigan requires that a helmet be worn at all times by motorcycle and scooter drivers and their passengers. Michigan also requires that eye protection be worn at all times. 73 percent of the riders involved in a motorcycle accident were wearing no eye protection at the time. It is believed that extreme wind caused the rider’s eyes to water and impair vision. The odds that an individual will be hurt in any motorcycle accident are extremely high. 98 percent of the number of multi-vehicle accidents and 96 percent of motorcycle only accidents end in some type of injury. 45 percent of all of the accidents ended in more than a minor injury. It is important to note that it is believed that 1,658 lives were saved by safety helmets in 2006. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates that a further 752 lives could have been saved with the use of some type of protective head gear.

The causes of motorcycle accidents in Michigan, or anywhere else, are varied. Wrecks involving only the bike and rider account for about one-fourth of the motorcycle accidents. Only about three percent of these are believed to have been caused by some form of vehicle failure, such as a flat tire or a stalled engine. Another three percent are accounted for by something in or on the roadway, like potholes and animals. About two percent are weather related. The largest category of single vehicle accidents are caused by riders entering a corner going too fast and either sliding out or under steering. Either of these can cause a rider, bike and any passengers to enter an oncoming lane of traffic or leave the roadway.

Three-fourths of the accidents that involve a motorcycle also involve another vehicle, most often a passenger vehicle. In a majority of these cases the driver of the other vehicle claims to have not seen the motorcycle or to have seen the motorcycle too late to have avoided the accident. Intersections are the most common location for these types of accidents and usually involve the driver of the car or truck violating the biker’s right-of-way. Wearing brighter clothing and leaving the bike’s headlight on at all times help increase the visibility of the motorcycle, but the smallest distraction to the other driver can cause that driver to completely miss seeing the biker.

It is estimated that the driver of a motorcycle has, at most, two seconds to avoid an accident. When a biker has little to no experience and is under trained, two seconds is not enough time to decide what to do and do it. That is why most states, including Michigan, allow those desiring to get their motorcycle endorsement to attend and complete a basic rider’s safety course instead of taking the road skills test. If you live in Michigan and wish to acquire your motorcycle endorsement, you must first have a valid driver’s license. To gain your temporary motorcycle permit, you need to take a basic written skills test and pass a vision screening. You may then either take a road skills test monitored by the state or attend and complete a basic rider’s safety course. The basic rider’s safety course is recommended for inexperienced riders and required for those who did not pass the skills test twice or those under eighteen wishing to get there M Class endorsement. Keep in mind that 92 percent of riders involved in accidents were either self-taught or were taught by friends and family and had no structured training.

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