Posts tagged "motorcycle safety"

More so than drivers, motorcyclists have a reputation as being slow to embrace new technology in the name of safety. This reputation is unfairly deserved. After all, motorcyclists are heavily dependent on motorcycle manufacturers who decide what safety features to include and what features not to include on their models.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the rate of fatal motorcycle accidents has been on a steady increase in Ohio and across the country. NHTSA statistics show that fatality rates rose in 11 of the past 12 years across the nation. With those statistics and the desire to increase motorcycle safety in mind, federal safety regulators have begun to lean on motorcycle manufacturers to install new safety features on their models.

According to statistics from the Ohio State Highway Patrol, 11,400 people were injured in motorcycle accidents from 2008 to 2010 in Ohio. An additional 542 people were killed in Ohio motorcycle accidents during that same period of time.

All too often, a motorcycle accident occurs because a driver violated a motorcyclist's right of way. Many drivers will later say that they never saw the motorcyclist coming. Experienced motorcycle accident attorneys hear that excuse often, but failing to see a motorcycle does not excuse a driver from liability for damages caused by his or her own negligence.

The season has changed for the warmer and for the better in Cincinnati. With warmer weather and longer days, many motorcycles that have spent the winter hibernating inside garages are returning to Ohio roads and highways.

Public awareness campaigns designed to increase driver awareness of motorcyclists on the roads have been successful over the past few years. However, because many drivers have not seen a motorcycle in several months, it can be easy for drivers to revert to old habits and to cause motorcycle accidents.

It is an unfortunate reality that when a motorcycle collides with another type of vehicle, the motorcyclist usually takes the brunt of the damage. The fact of the matter is that when a motorcycle collides with a car or truck, usually the driver of the car or truck violates the motorcyclist's right-of-way. Car and truck drivers involved in motorcycle accidents often appear to be a broken record, saying, "I didn't see the motorcycle."

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, several factors cause drivers to overlook motorcyclists and violate motorcyclists' right of way. Firstly, motorcycles are a small portion of vehicles on the road. Drivers can go for months over winter without seeing a motorcycle on the road, so many drivers do not anticipate encountering a motorcycle on the road and they therefore fail to look for motorcyclists.

There is both positive and sobering news to report in Ohio regarding motorcycle safety and motorcycle accidents. As to the former, Ohio Safety Office statistics indicate that there were fewer bike fatalities last year than in 2008. Notwithstanding that, though, numbers from the state Department of Public Safety's Traffic Safety Office show that cycle-related deaths are once again up this year when compared to the same time frame last year; moreover, motorcycle crashes and fatalities continue to occur at a much higher rate in Ohio than they do in the neighboring states of Michigan and Indiana.

"We are watching fatalities very closely," says Ohio Department of Public Safety Director Thomas J. Stickrath, "and it is crucial that we continue to educate everyone that riding and driving alert will save lives."

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration ("NHTSA") has long been focused on motorcycle accident prevention. The best way to obtain improved rider safety and reduced crash statistics, though, has been the subject of a longstanding debate. A current congressional resolution seeks to add clarity to the matter.

The 1998 Transportation Equity Act contains language that bans the NHTSA from using taxpayer money to lobby state lawmakers regarding motorcycle safety. Prior to the ban, efforts were routinely made to pressure state and local bodies to enact mandatory helmet laws, an attempt that has always been met with resistance in many quarters, including the American Motorcyclist Association ("AMA").

The Ohio State Highway Patrol is partnering this summer with the American Motorcyclist Association ("AMA") to stress motorcycle safety and the delivery of specific safety messages to both motorcycle riders and other motor vehicle drivers sharing the road with motorcyclists.

The partnership and information sharing is purposefully aimed at motorists during the summer months, when motorcycle use is at its annual high. The reason for the timing is based on both logic and a wealth of sobering statistics: Good weather brings out more riders, and more riders translates to more motorcycle accidents.

Those accidents - especially when compared to crashes involving a sturdier mode of transportation, such as cars and trucks - are often much more serious. According to Highway Patrol statistics, there were 152 motorcycle fatalities in Ohio in 2009, and 3,290 injury crashes overall. Although those numbers actually mark a decrease from 2008, the following statistic remains centrally relevant:  From 2006 - 2008, motorcycle deaths had increased by about 35 percent on the state's roadways.