Earlier this year the Governor’s Highway Safety Administration published a press release that noted that in 2017, motorcycle accident fatalities had dropped 5.6 percent over those suffered in 2016. That reduction in deaths calculated out to nearly 300 fewer lives lost in these roadway tragedies. However, despite the lowering of the national motorcycle accident fatality rate, nearly 5,000 individuals were still lost in motorcycle accidents in 2017.
Massachusetts residents may often read about tragic accidents involving motorcycles in their local newspapers because motorcycle deaths happen everywhere and in every state across the nation. Despite the fact that there are many ways that drivers can help reduce these preventable and often deadly collisions, many drivers continue to operate in dangerous ways and put motorcycle drivers and riders at risk.
For example, drunk drivers and drivers impaired by drugs or other substances pose a significant risk to everyone on the road, including motorcyclists. Impaired drivers do not react quickly to hazards in front of them and may not be able to negotiate through roadways where motorcyclists are driving.
Additionally, distracted drivers cause too many collisions and crashes with motorcycles each year. By simply putting down their phones and waiting to respond to text messages, emails and phone calls drivers could save many lives each and every year.
Motorcyclists are more likely to lose their lives in collisions with cars than other drivers because they simply do not have the same protective structures around them that drivers of cars, trucks, and other vehicles have. Those who have suffered the incredible loss of losing a loved one in a motorcycle collision may want to consult their trusted personal injury attorneys about potential legal actions available to them.
