Motorcycle Accidents | What You Can Do to Help Prevent Them

Did you know that 75% of all motorcycle accidents involve a car or that 67% involve a car driver who fails to see a motorcycle?  For most motorcycle accidents, it takes two.  It’s no surprise that riding a motorcycle is dangerous: fatality rate per mile driven is 35 times higher than when in a car! Only 25% of motorcycle accidents don’t involve cars, typically slide out on turn from inexperienced riders.  So if most motorcycle accidents are caused by car drivers not seeing motorcycles, what can we do?

If you ride:

  • Wear bright gear and a helmet
  • Take a riding course and be defensive
  • Ride a bike that fits, has good daylight lighting and antilock brakes
  • At Desert Insurance Solutions we offer motorcycle insurance discounts to riders with experience, a safety course

At Desert Insurance Solutions we offer motorcycle insurance discounts to riders with experience, a safety course diploma, antilock brakes and a claims-free history.

We car drivers should look for motorcycles. Once spotted think of them as people, not vehicles and give them space. Motorcycles can slow down rapidly by downshifting so don’t rely on their brake lights. To spot motorcycles use all of your mirrors followed by head checks, and to warn motorcycles signal your turns and don’t make abrupt moves or lane changes.

Speaking of lane changes, my out of town friends are always amazed at motorcycle lane splitters in California. In California lane splitting is legal, it’s illegal to block lane splitters and you can be held liable if you veer out and are struck by a lane splitter, so watch out for it particularly when freeway traffic slows and you’re tempted to change lanes. Lane splitters are asked to follow these guidelines:

  • Only split when traffic is below 30 mph
  • Keep speed differential below 10 mph
  • Split between lane 1 (furthest left) and lane 2. Splitting further right is dangerous because cars tend to veer right to exit ramps.

Motorcycles have a right to our roads just like cars and riders count on us car drivers to keep safe. And motorcycle/car collisions are likely to have severe consequences for both the rider and driver. So let’s spend a few extra seconds searching for them. It takes two!

This site is informational and not a substitute for professional advice. Insurance coverage is subject to the language of the policies as issued.