Motorcycle Accident Information & Motorcycle Accident Lawyers In New-hampshire

In 2005 motorcycle accidents in New Hampshire were extremely high. There were 44 lives lost in motorcycle accidents. This makes up 26.5 percent of the total number of deaths on the road. Nationally, motorcycle riders represented 10.5 percent of the fatalities. While still high, the numbers in 2006 were a lot closer to the averages in America. New Hampshire managed to cut the number of fatalities from motorcycle accidents in half. There were 21 deaths in 2006, which made up 16.5 percent of the total. There were 4,810 fatalities nationwide or 11.3 percent of the total.

New Hampshire is a beautiful state to ride in during the spring, summer and fall. The miles of shoreline, rolling hills and mountains and forested landscape make for an interesting and relaxing ride. These wonderful sights can also be hazardous to a rider, because, without some caution, these vistas can pull your mind and eyes away from the road. This doesn’t only occur for motorcycle riders, but can also happen to the drivers of other vehicles.

Three-fourths of the motorcycle accidents that occur involve another vehicle of some type, usually a passenger vehicle. In these multi-vehicle accidents, a motorcycle rider is injured about 98 percent of the time. The largest number of these accidents occurs at traffic intersections. In most of the cases, the driver of the other vehicle claims not to have seen the motorcycle and rider at all, or, at least, seen them too late to avoid them. Motorcycles and scooters are much smaller than most other vehicles on the road and present a much smaller profile to oncoming traffic. If another driver is distracted or not paying attention, it is very easy to miss seeing the bike. A large number of these accidents occur because the driver of the other vehicle violated the right-of-way of the rider and caused an accident. While it is believed that riding with a headlight on at all times and wearing bright clothes can help make a rider more visible, it is still highly recommended that a rider keep his or her mind and eyes on the road and other traffic.

The other one-fourth of the accidents that occur involve only the motorcycle. In these single vehicle crashes, under training and inexperience are the largest contributing factors. 92 percent of the riders that are involved in these types of accidents are self-taught or have been taught by friends and family. The most common situation that happens is a rider will enter a curve at to high a rate of speed. If the biker tries to lean too far to make the corner, the tires may slide out from underneath the bike, dumping the rider and any passengers to the ground. Depending on the rate of speed, this dump may be followed by a slide and could send everything into the path of oncoming traffic or into some barrier along the roadway. If the rider does not lean far enough to take the corner, the bike will swing wide and possible enter lanes of oncoming traffic or send the bike careening widely and out of control. In a single motorcycle crash, there is 96 percent chance that the rider will sustain some form of injury. For all motorcycle accident, both multi- and single-vehicle accidents, there is a 45 percent chance that the injuries sustained by the rider will be much more than minor.

State laws vary for motorcycles and their riders from state to state. In New Hampshire, it is required that all riders and passengers under the age of eighteen wear a safety helmet. All other licensed riders are free to choose whether they wish to wear a helmet or not. All riders must wear some from of eye protection, such as goggles or safety glasses, if their motorcycle is not equipped with a windshield. Motorcycle riders in New Hampshire must also obtain a motorcycle endorsement on their valid driver’s license. You can obtain a learner’s permit, which is good for thirty days. Then you take a road skills test to obtain the final endorsement. You may also attend a Motorcycle Rider Training Program. When you complete and pass this test, you can waive the road skills test to gain your endorsement.

Thank you for choosing Lawcore.com!

Lawcore.com Home | Contact Lawcore.com | Advertise Your Firm | Terms & Conditions Of Use / Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2004 - 2008 Lawcore.com, Inc (As Licensee). All Rights Reserved.