How to Prevent and Avoid a Motorcycle Accident

It's important to realize that riding a motorcycle is innately risky when you compare it to its 4-wheel counterpart. This can also explain why a lot of people enjoy the adrenaline that they get from riding at high speeds, with the wind hitting their body at great intensity. When it comes to safety, a motorcycle is a tricky machine to maneuver that requires an adequate amount of research and precautions to be resolved properly. To help you wrap your head around the safety procedures and tips you should heed to, we've created a brief guide with the most important tips.

If you're a new motorcyclist, you should definitely try to learn from those who have more experience in riding motorcycles. It's hard to actually expect to deal with any new problems that pop up while you're riding motorcycles, from crash-prevention maneuvers to dealing with insurance claims. Those who happen to be involved in an unfortunate motorcycle crash should prepare to pursue claims legally. You can click here to understand how personal injury lawyers handle insurance claims when it comes to personal injury in motorcycle crashes. While avoiding an accident should be your priority, you should always be prepared to handle the legal aftermath if push comes to shove.

We know how tempting it is to just let loose and go at the highest speed your bike can handle at times, but that's just a recipe for disaster. Even the most safely equipped 4-wheel vehicles can't properly handle a crash at such high speeds, which means imminent and assured consequences when it comes to motorcycles. Speeding on a motorcycle is going to seriously impair your ability to react quickly and judge properly; you won't be able to clearly see turns, debris, and many other problematic obstacles. When you boil it down to simple terms, a second can sometimes be all you need to avoid an assured life-ending accident on a motorcycle.

A lot of people are used to being wary of bigger vehicles than motorcycles because of the actual damage that can befall them if they don't notice it. But when it comes to motorcycles, it's easy for people to be distracted from seeing the 2-wheeler as it's relatively smaller than most other vehicles on the road, which is why the majority of crashes of motorcycles with other vehicles come from being rear-sided. If you're going to come to a stop for any reason, ensure that the way behind you is clear, in addition to flashing or signaling more than once so any driver behind you is ready to stop if they need to. Drive defensively at intersections since half of all collisions are usually there.

Yes, riding between active vehicles is quite tempting because it can save you time in high-traffic areas, but it's not really practical if you think about it from a safety standpoint. If you're in a total traffic jam, literally any driver can innocently open their car door; suddenly you're in mid-air without your bike, suffering serious damage. Any car that suddenly pulls in front of you for any reason will leave you no room to maneuver; praying that the brakes save your life in this situation may not be enough. Riding in traffic between lanes is also illegal in many states, cities, and countries.

It's not really a surprise that the majority of vehicle crashes are direct results from driving under the influence of a drug, which is alcohol in most cases. According to NHTSA, more than 40% of motorcyclists who died in crashes were alcohol-impaired. The risk is exponentially higher if the driver of a motorcycle is impaired by a drug, as simple crashes that can be easily avoided when you're sober can endanger your life while impaired. Keeping the bike upright and balanced takes a lot of work by itself when you're sober; doing it while you're drunk or drug-impaired is going to be a nightmare in many scenarios.

Motorcyclists have the additional burden of taking the weather they're going to be riding into account before they head out. While the performance of a vehicle and a driver in terrible weather is negatively impacted, motorcyclists should take more precautions than usual. You want to make sure that your vehicle is ready to drive in the rain, wind, or any challenging scenario that can be thrown at you, in addition to researching the best methods to drive in such problematic environments if you have to.

The mechanical and electrical evolution that led to the creation of a motorcycle makes a lot of sense in terms of practicality. After all, they are faster, easier to navigate, smaller, less polluting than bigger vehicles, and have many other benefits. But without the right safety precautions and proper driving techniques, motorcycle accidents can become nightmare material.