Common Causes Of Motorcycle Accidents

There are a number of different hazards motorcyclists face on the road that do not significantly affect other vehicles. While small pieces of debris, potholes or sections of uneven pavement may go largely unnoticed by drivers of passenger cars or trucks, they can prove deadly to motorcycle riders and their passengers. However, the greatest danger faced by motorcyclists on the road is not foul weather conditions or poor road maintenance, it is other vehicles. Motorcycles are often difficult for other drivers to see because these vehicles are smaller and less substantial than passenger cars and trucks. In fact, more than 50 percent of motorcycle crashes in 2007 involved the motorcycle colliding with another vehicle. In 40 percent of the two-vehicle fatal accidents involving motorcycles, the other vehicle was turning left while the motorcycle was going straight, overtaking the other vehicle, or passing.

Speeding is also a major cause of traffic-related deaths and injuries for motorcycle riders and their passengers. The NHTSA considers a crash to be speeding-related if the driver was charged with a speeding-related offense by a police officer, or if the officer indicated in his or her report that racing, exceeding the safe speed for the conditions, or breaking the speed limit was a contributing factor in the accident. In 2007, the NHTSA estimates that 36 percent of all motorcycle riders involved in fatal crashes were speeding. Other common causes of motorcycle accidents include defective products, unsafe road conditions and motorcycle driver inexperience.