The Personal Blog Of
Boston Motorcycle Lawyer

Motorcycle Safety
July 3, 2009

There is no denying the appeal of motorcycles for many Americans: they’re fun to ride, popular culture has associated them with “having attitude” and they are also economical and convenient, saving riders a lot of money on gas. Yet there are undeniable risks that come with the terrain. There are numerous resources on the Internet and in print that are exclusively dedicated to reducing motorcycle fatality rates and improving overall motorcycle safety.

The issue of motorcycle safety is so serious that the government has partnered with safety groups to put together a comprehensive plan that will effectively reduce not only motorcycle injuries and motorcycle accidents in general but will do so for all kinds of vehicle incidents.

The Federal Highway Administration has worked with the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials and the Transportation Research Board to create this comprehensive plan, called the Strategic Highway Safety Plan. It puts together a series of statistics and stipulates the different kinds of measures that, gradually, will be implemented to reduce total motorcycle fatality statistics. Even though such fatalities have decreased by roughly 50% over the last 20 years, as the authors of the program rightfully say, “there remains room for improvement.”

Learning What the Objectives Are

The section pertaining to riding (Goal 11) is titled Improving Motorcycle Safety and Increasing Motorcycle Awareness.

It is subdivided into 5 different strategies:

• Reduce the number of alcohol-related motorcycle fatalities
• Reduce motorcycle fatalities resulting from errors by other drivers
• Increase the application of comprehensive motorcycles rider education programs for novice and experienced riders
• Increase highway design, operations, and maintenance practices that consider the special needs of motorcycle operating requirements and dynamics
• Increase helmet usage through the enactment of helmet laws

As any rider will be able to appreciate, these objectives seem to coincide with what most riders already know; increased awareness among car drivers of the presence of motorcycles on the road will lead to less accidents. Additionally, an emphasis on making helmet use mandatory would result in fewer deaths each year.

Respecting Your Head, Using Your Helmet

Though riders may not always be able to educate other drivers of the issues surrounding motorcycle safety, they can guarantee themselves that they are respecting their own physical wellbeing as much as they can by wearing a helmet. In fact, studies have proven that the use of helmets by motorcycle riders has resulted in approximately 37% motorcycle fatality prevention.

It’s not sufficient to use any kind of helmet: the use of half-helmets is discouraged as they do not cover the lower part of the face and people that have motorcycle crashes while using one are subjected to unnecessary injuries; furthermore, having a white helmet or one that includes bright and shiny objects is a much better idea than an all black helmet, which will add to the likelihood that another driver won’t see you.

Don’t doubt for a minute the importance of helmet use, and wise up if you haven’t started using one already. Read the Research Note that the Department of Transportation published on the web regarding their calculations of total lives saved by motorcycle helmets; you’ll never ride without one again! Safety needs to be your primary concern, every time you hop on the bike.

If you have been injured in a motorcycle accident due to someone else’s negligence, contact an experienced personal injury attorney. In this critical time you need a legal team that will fight for the compensation you deserve!