Enhancing Motorcycle Safety: Understanding the Reality, Risks, and the Way Forward

1 The Need for Motorcycle Safety Courses

The Need for Motorcycle Safety Courses

We have said it before and we will keep saying it – Arizona is a wonderful place to own a motorcycle. In this state, it seems that each year we have more and more people obtaining their motorcycle licenses. However, we read an article that says most people do not ever take a motorcycle safety course.

At Lorona Mead, we want everyone to enjoy the roadways and hope nobody ever experiences a motorcycle crash. However, we know that motorcyclists face more dangers that passengers in regular vehicles. If you need a Phoenix motorcycle accident attorney, you can count on our team to secure the compensation you deserve.

What Is The Reality?

We have about 5 million licensed drivers in Arizona and we know there are plenty of motorcyclists in the state as well. But how safe are motorcyclists?

Last year, there were 161 people killed in motorcycle crashes in Arizona. Many times, the fault can be attributed to a motorcycle rider going too fast. “Too much speed it really, really, really common and that’s a choice that we make as riders,” said Mark Weiss of Harley Davidson’s Desert Wind Riding Academy. His group works to secure funding so that motorcyclists can take safety courses for free, with a focus on defensive riding.

The Impact of Negligent Drivers

However, not all motorcycle crashes are the fault of the motorcycle rider. In fact, we know that many of them are due to careless drivers of passenger vehicles. It is vital that vehicle riders share the roadway with motorcyclists. When a vehicle impacts a motorcycle, the results are almost always going to be an injury or fatality for the motorcyclist. Even for riders who wear a helmet, they can suffer from severe injuries. It is not uncommon to see the following injuries:

Spinal cord damage and even paralysis
Major head or brain trauma
Broken or dislocated bones
Internal organ damage or bleeding
Severe lacerations or road rash

These injuries all require emergency medical treatment and victims often need extended rehabilitation periods in order to make a full recovery.

Motorcycle Crashes and Injuries

For the latest reporting year in Arizona, there were 2,907 motorcycle crashes. Other than the fatalities we mentioned above, there were also 2,413 people injured. In nearly every motorcycle crash (83%) in 2017, someone was injured.

We know that distracted drivers, those on their phones or other devices, as well as those impaired by alcohol pose extreme dangers to motorcyclists.

Moving Forward From Here

All traffic accidents are scary, but when you are a motorcyclist, even minor accidents can become deadly. At Lorona Mead, we are here if you have been injured due to another person’s negligence. Our knowledgeable and experienced team understand motorcycle crash cases and injuries and that they can become complex when dealing with insurance companies. You need to focus on healing, so let us get to work on securing: