The Personal Blog Of
Boston Motorcycle Lawyer

Motorcycle Accidents: The Numbers Don’t Lie
July 15, 2009

For those of you who like living on the edge, there are lots of ways to express the love of taking risks. There is sky diving, bungee jumping, wrestling alligators, running with scissors, and the list goes on. For many, the love of the open road on your sportbike or Harley Davidson gets the job done. In comparison with sky diving or bungee jumping, motorcycle enthusiasts seem pretty tame.  However, the real story is in the numbers.

You think skydiving is extremely dangerous? Consider this data from the United States Parachute Association (USPA). In 2007, there were:

• 2.2 Million Jumps by USPA Members
• 821 USPA Members Injured in Jumps requiring medical attention
• 18 Fatalities

Now let’s consider information from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration from 2007.

• 7.1 million motorcycles on US roadways
• 123,000 motorcycle accidents
• 5,154 motorcycle fatalities

In 2007, there were 137.8 million passenger cars on US roadway and depending on your state, somewhere between 25-50% of those drivers are uninsured or underinsured. That’s why it is important for you to consider uninsured motorist coverage. Motorcycling is more popular than ever and each year, more bikes are cruising on US streets.

At the same time, more drivers are lowering or even dropping their vehicle insurance coverage as the economy continues to sputter and unemployment continues to rise. Motorcycles are less equipped to handle even low speed collisions and the result can leave the rider with life threatening injuries and a mountain of medical bills.

Uninsured motorist coverage can be the bridge to cover expenses if you are in an accident with an uninsured, hit and run, or underinsured driver. Additionally, uninsured motorist insurance can be a great supplement to your medical insurance. This coverage is surprising low cost too. For more information, contact your insurance carrier. Peace of mind is rarely this easy to obtain.