Survival Strategies: How to Avoid Motorcycle Accidents
Motorcycles are fuel-efficient, economical, environmentally friendly, and fun. They are, unfortunately, more dangerous than passenger cars. Bikers who get into accidents are much more likely to suffer serious injuries. If you are going to ride, make sure to ride safely. Below, we offer some tips on how to avoid motorcycle accidents and stay alive on the road. Unfortunately, all the care in the world can’t always save you from another driver’s carelessness, recklessness, or overly aggressive behavior. If you’re hurt in a motorcycle crash in the Antelope Valley because of another driver’s negligence, call a seasoned Palmdale motorcycle accident attorney for advice and assistance.
Make Sure Cars Can See You
Motorcycles are smaller than cars. It’s easy to ride behind a car and suddenly wind up in their blind spot. Drivers who are not being attentive can miss the presence of a motorcycle and make a sudden lane change, turn, or stop, leading to a collision. When passenger cars collide with motorcycles, the motorcycle rider is almost certain to suffer much more serious injury than the motor vehicle driver or passengers.
Don’t Drink & Drive
It’s an obvious thing to say, but it bears repeating: Don’t ride your motorcycle while intoxicated. Alcohol slows reaction times, limits visibility, and impairs judgment. Moreover, it affects balance, and riding a motorcycle even at safe speeds requires balance and coordination. While riding a motorcycle, you need to make constant, split-second decisions and physical reactions. If intoxication slows your capacity to make those adjustments, you are significantly more likely to wind up in a serious or fatal traffic accident.
Avoid Erratic Drivers
It’s important to not only avoid riding while intoxicated but also to watch out for any other dangerous drivers on the road. If you see a car swerving between lanes, speeding, or making aggressive and unsafe maneuvers, give them a wide berth. They are likely to cause an accident, and it’s much easier for someone drunk or distracted to miss the presence of a motorcyclist nearby. Don’t let their mistakes cost you your life.
Perform Regular Maintenance
Proper maintenance is as important between rides as it is during rides. Make sure you are taking care of your motorcycle and performing regular maintenance on the engine, brakes, headlamps, turn signals, and tires, among other parts. Check your tires to make sure they have enough tread and are properly inflated. The last thing you need is for your brakes to suddenly give out when you are on the freeway and a passenger car suddenly stops in front of you.
Limit Riding in Inclement Weather
Riding a motorcycle through the rain or snow can be exhilarating, but it’s especially dangerous. Motorcycles are already harder for other drivers to see; adding rain, snow, or fog significantly increases the risk of a crash. Moreover, riding on wet or icy roads, or in heavy winds, can cause a biker to lose control unexpectedly. Bikes are much more susceptible to heavy weather than passenger cars are. If you do need to ride during poor weather, take extra care, ride more slowly, make sure all of your lights are bright and working, and keep your eyes out for bad drivers and other hazards.
Prepare for Common Road Hazards
The roads are not perfect. You’ll commonly run into potholes, wet pavement, gravel, leaves, or rubber from flat tires. Practice maneuvering through these objects, as well as adjusting should you accidentally ride over them. Practicing your braking and adjusting in advance will ensure that you know what to do when you hit these hazards in real-time.
Factors like those mentioned above make it easier for the insurance company to dispute your claim or allege you were at least partially to blame. Rest assured when the accident was the other driver’s fault, we’ll do our best to prove it and hold them fully accountable to you for the damages they’ve caused. If you have been injured in a motorcycle accident in Palmdale or throughout Southern California, call the Kistler Law Firm at 661-206-6990 for a free consultation to discuss your claims and find out how we can help.
