Arizona has lovely weather year round. This makes it ideal for motorcycle riding. Whether one rides to get to work, to school or he or she merely hits the road for leisure, this type of transportation can be economical and fun. Yet, it also carries some serious dangers. These vehicles lack the safety features found in passenger vehicles, such as airbags and seatbelts, which means that riders are often seriously injured or killed when a motorcycle accident occurs.
The statistics can be pretty staggering. According to one study, 2015 alone saw nearly 5,000 motorcycle-related fatalities and approximately 88,000 motorcycle crash injuries. The number of fatalities had risen by eight percent in 2015 alone, accounting for 14 percent of all traffic deaths.
So why are motorcycle accidents so common? One major reason is that other motorists suffer from motorcycle unawareness. Since these motorists don’t interact with motorcyclists on the road as often as they do with larger passenger vehicles, they may neglect to keep an eye out for them and anticipate their movements. This can be especially true when a passenger or commercial vehicle driver is distracted or intoxicated. These drivers can be susceptible to a failure to yield, change lanes into a motorcyclist and fail to slow down quickly enough to avoid rear-ending a motorcyclist.
Although safety campaigns have sought to raise awareness, the truth of the matter is that motorcyclists will continue to be injured by negligent drivers for the foreseeable future. Not even those who ride defensively can completely remove themselves from risk.
Those who suffer harm in a motorcycle crash caused by the negligence of another may have legal recourse. By filing a personal injury lawsuit, a motorcycle accident victim may be able to impose liability and recover compensation. This money can go a long way toward helping pay for unexpected medical expenses and recoup lost wages. The legal arena can be a battlefield, though, so those who choose to enter it need to be as fully prepared as possible, which may mean acquiring the assistance of skilled legal counsel.
