Almost every weekend this summer has brought an overwhelming number of motorcycle accident fatalities and injuries, so it is no wonder that motorcycle experts think that taking safety education courses could be the key to preventing accidents.

Since 2001, almost 80% of motorcyclists involved in fatal crashes in Massachusetts had no motorcycle education, the state Registry of Motor Vehicles reports. So far, the reigstry advises, but does not require, that motorcycle permit holders take a safety course. The number of students who take motorcycle safety courses declines while motorcycle crash reports rise, pointing that a lack of motorcycle education could be at the heart of the problem.

According to the RMV, 8,401 students were enrolled in the Mass. Rider Education Program in 2009, compared to 9,308 in 2008, while the number of fatal motorcycle crashes in Mass. rose from 42 in 2008 to 52 in 2009. So far this year, there have been 18 fatal motorcycle crashes.

We urge all prospective riders to take motorcycle safety education courses before they go out on the roads. Knowing the dangers on the road and the ways to improve their performance is half the battle, as the numbers clearly show.

A motorcycle accident that happened on May 16th in Milford, MA, could have easily had a fatal outcome if not for the wisdom of one luckly motorcycle rider. The 55-year-old George Claborn of Amherst hit the road that Saturday properly attired and protected, and even though he had a serious motorcycle crash, he survived. 

Yes, he was injured, as it is almost invitable in any type of motorcycle accident, but he survived.

The crash occurred between his motorcycle, Kawasaki Ninja, and a Jeep Cherokee, trapping Claborn under the Jeep. He suffered broken bones and other injures, but after treatment at the UMass Medical Center in Worcester, his condition is improving.

His wife attributes his survival to wearing a proper safety equipment, and we agree. Besides installing loud pipes on motorcycles to boost the noise level so motorists can hear them, in the event of collision, our safest bet is to protect our heads with proper helmets. As we age our brain shrinks, but our skull size remains the same, and consequently the brain has more wiggle room inside the skull.

When a crash occurs, one the of the main concerns is a closed head injury – meaning, the skull is not broken, but the victim still sufferes a head injury due to violent acceleration of the head which causes the brain to move around inside the skull. When the head suffers impact from the front, the brain moves forward, squeezing the tissue near the spot of the impact, and at the same time stretches the tissue on the opposite side of the head. Then the brain rebounds in the opposite direction, doing the same thing – squeezing tissue on one side and stretching the tisue on the opposite end. Depending on the impact, blood vessels that link the brain to the inside of the skull can stretch and break, causing bleeding, which is extremely dangerous.

Unfortunately, the closed head injury is the most common type of motorcycle head injury. So, wearing a helmet is crucial to protecting the brain, and preventing serious head trauma, as well as damages to the brain. Some helmets, like the ones with face shield and chinbar, also protect the face from external injury.

Claborn had his on when the crash occurred, so, even under a Jeep, his head didn’t suffer a serious trauma. Claborn was also wearing boots and a full leather gear, which also played a significant part in his protection.

We are happy for him, and hope that his example will serve as a great lesson for those who forget or refuse to wear proper safety equipment.

Motorcyclists are vulnerable on the road and must do everything to protect themselves. Who do you think is more likely to get injured in a car/motorcycle collision? Just think, in this crash the Jeep Cherokee driver didn’t get injured, so if Claborn forgot to put his helmet on that day, chances are he would have been a fatality.

ALWAYS WEAR A HELMET!!! It helped save George’s life.

We hope George Claborn will have a speedy recovery and we wish him all the best!!!

Too bad, I didn’t read my owner manual.

One night I was riding and the forward control bracket of my shifter disconnected as I was downshifting to 1^st gear. Luckily, I was in second gear and was able to keep the bike moving. Another stroke of luck was that this happened right next to a gas station.  I was quickly able to get off the road and into a safe and well lit area.

It was about 11PM and I was about 20 miles from home.

I only had the bike for a few months, never had a problem with it, and purchased the bike without the owner manual. I figured I could fix the problem with the motorcycle tool kit but I wasn’t sure and had no idea where it would be. My initial thought was that it would be under the seat like on sport bikes. But of course, to get the seat off, I needed tools.

Luckily, a biker was in the gas station, saw my struggles, and offered a helping hand. He rode a Honda VTX 1300 and was familiar with motorcycle maintenance and metric cruisers. He was able to help me find my tool set, fix the forward control, and I was back on the road in 10 minutes.

This spring, there will be lots of bikers out on the road that will be as clueless as I was regarding basic motorcycle maintenance and repair. There will also be bikers who drop their bikes and need help picking it up. These are minor problems but to a new biker, they can seem catastrophic.

The guy who helped me out gave me the motivation to learn more about my bike so that I would never be so helpless again. Maybe you can do the same for another biker in need.

Remember to always use caution and your best judgment when stopping to assist a biker or any motorist.

If you or a loved one has been injured in a motorcycle accident in the Boston or Andover area, contact personal injury lawyer and avid biker Tom Kiley! Or order a FREE copy of Tom Kiley’s motorcycle accident guide, Do Loud Pipes Save Lives.

As more bikers hit the road (as well as motorists), it’s good to review motorcycle safety. In order to stay safe on the road, there are a few things that bikers should avoid at all costs. Partaking in any of these activities can end in disaster.

• Drugs/Alcohol/Stress: Riding under the influence of alcohol, prescription drugs, or illegal drugs should NEVER be done. Anything that causes a rider to have less than perfect concentration and attention to road condition is a reason to not ride. Extreme stress can also lead to road inattention and should be avoided.

• Racing/Stunting: Racing and performing stunts like wheelies and endos on public streets is illegal and highly dangerous. These activities put the lives of bikers, motorists, and pedestrians at risk. Fines for these activities are extremely high as well.

• Riding with Strangers: This may not sound like a huge risk but riding in formation with strangers can be very dangerous. It’s always important to ride with people whose riding habits, attention to safety, and sobriety you are familiar with.

• Aggressive Driving: Riding a motorcycle requires a defensive mindset in order to avoid potentially bad situations. Aggressive passing, speeding, quick starts and stops can put a biker in a position where a collision or fall cannot be avoided.

• Poorly Maintained Motorcycles: Motorcycles are finely tuned machines and require regular  maintenance like all vehicles. Since a motorcycle has only two wheels, motorcycles need to be more closely maintained than cars. A motorcycle that is not maintained well may not be able to maintain its connection with the road when turning, braking, or accelerating. This can cause the ride to lose control.

Be safe this spring and make sure to keep your focus on the road and on motorcycle safety.

If you or a loved one has been injured in a motorcycle accident in the Boston or Andover area, contact personal injury lawyer and avid biker Tom Kiley! Or order a FREE copy of Tom Kiley’s motorcycle accident guide, Do Loud Pipes Save Lives.

If there is one fact that is true about bikers, they have big egos. Riding a motorcycle requires moxie and bikers certainly have lots of it.  Bikers take pride in having great biker gear and even greater bikes. Some spend thousands of dollars to make their cruisers or sport bikes into one of a kind motorcycles.

Bikers especially don’t want to be outdone by their peers. It’s hard for other bikers to say to their friends that they can’t keep up. Sometimes, having a big ego can be a dangerous thing and cause a biker to forget about motorcycle safety.

Keep your biker ego in check (if necessary) by:

• Practice first: For bikers that have not ridden in a long time or are rusty should not hit the roads first. If you need to, get your bearings back by practicing on a closed road or parking lot. Even if your friends try to push you, resist the urge to hit the street until you are ready.

• Pace yourself: Make sure to establish your own pace and don’t let other riders encourage you to ride too fast or too far for your comfort.  If your biker buddies have to ride ahead or if you have to skip a long distance tour, that’s what needs to happen to stay safe.

• Stay away: Until you are comfortable, avoid riding in formation; even with riders you are familiar with. Having additional space is necessary to make sure you can avoid other motorists or bikers. Until you are comfortable, riding in formation is one of the most dangerous things to do.

The best thing to do is to be 100% honest with yourself as it relates to your biker skills and do not deviate from that truth. This is best way to stay on the road and out of the hospital.

If you or a loved one has been injured in a motorcycle accident in the Boston or Andover area, contact personal injury lawyer and avid biker Tom Kiley! Or order a FREE copy of Tom Kiley’s motorcycle accident guide, Do Loud Pipes Save Lives.

In Volusia County Florida a biker, Robert Gam from Sanford, FL struck a deer while riding his Harley Davidson motorcycle and died at the scene. It was not determined if Gam was speeding but he was not wearing a helmet. It’s also unclear if Gamm would have survived the accident if he were wearing a helmet.

Despite his best effort to avoid the collision, Gamm struck the right side of the animal and lost control of his motorcycle. This motorcycle accident occurred around Noon.

When I first read this story, I thought that this is the epitome of a freak accident. It just sounds so far-fetched. But then, I thought about the story a bit more.

Volusia County is where two of the nation’s largest motorcycle events take place, Daytona Beach Bike Week, and Biketoberfest. Besides these events, Daytona Beach is a hot-bed of biker activity and bikers from all over the state of Florida flock there year round. Destination Daytona and the Main Street Strip are filled with bikers everyday and all year long.

I also started to think about all the rural areas where bikers ride. There are countless roads that are lined with wooded areas where animals of all types can run out without warning and cause a major accident.

There have been dozens of times I have either driven my car or rode my bike from South Florida to Orlando or Daytona and saw deer grazing on the side of the road. Sometimes, I see small herds and lately I have even seen a few wild pigs.

Collisions with animals is a major issue.

Gamm’s fatal motorcycle accident should give all bikers something new to think about. Not only do we have to watch out for cars, bad weather, road condition, pedestrians, and other bikers but we also have to be aware of animal crossings; even in the middle of the day.

Like Gamm, we may not be able to avoid hitting an animal but I’m convinced wearing a DOT motorcycle helmet can make a difference.

Hi, I’m Tom Kiley, and when my buddies and I go riding we always put safety first. Get a free copy of my motorcycle book for some valuable riding tips. And if you or loved one are ever hurt in the Massachusetts area, contact the Kiley Law Group for legal advice from a real motorcycle attorney.

There are literally thousands of motorcycle accessories for every type of motorcycle out on the market today. If you need your bike to look or perform differently, I guarantee there is a motorcycle accessory or two that can help accomplish your goal.

Personally, I don’t think certain things mix very well.  For instance, I wouldn’t suggest anyone mix steak with jelly beans or read a Dean Koontz murder mystery novel while horseback riding. Each of these items is great by themselves but together they are awful. Some things just don’t mix.

Like motorcycle and golf.

Like motorcycling, golf goes beyond a casual past time to many people who play — it is a lifestyle. The dedication, passion, and love that many golfers exhibit is equal to the dedication of bikers towards riding.

That’s why the Go Go Caddy is the worst motorcycle accessory in the world. For the life of me, I cannot fathom why a biker would want to carry a fully loaded golf bag on their bike.

Here are a few reasons why the Go Go Caddy is just plain dumb.

• Golfers own cars: Golfers who are in the primary demographics of Harley buyers are older professionals who own cars as their primary transportation.

• Harley owners own cars: Almost all Harley’s are considered luxury items and are fairly expensive. Most Harley owners are  professionals who own at least one car. It seems pretty unlikely that a Harley owning golfer would use his/her bike as primary transportation.

• It makes riding a motorcycle unsafe: This product’s website states that mounting a golf bag on the bike can cause blind spots. Any accessory that makes a bike unsafe is a bad accessory.

• It looks terrible: I don’t know why anyone would spend the money to get a beautiful Harley Davidson motorcycle only to add a golf rack to it? With or without the golf bag attached, it is hideous.

If you or a loved one has been injured in a motorcycle accident in the Boston or Andover area, contact personal injury lawyer and avid biker Tom Kiley! Or order a FREE copy of Tom Kiley’s motorcycle accident guide, Do Loud Pipes Save Lives.

Years ago, I decided to go skydiving and like many rookie skydivers, I wanted to do some research before taking the leap. I wanted to make sure that when I went skydiving, I did so in the safest manner possible.

The interesting thing I found out about the parachutist community is that they make a very large effort to chronicle parachuting accidents to not only memorialize fallen parachutists but to also educate other parachutists about accidents and safety.

In Skydiving Magazine, the back of the magazine has a section that highlights fatal and non-fatal accidents. These articles also mention the reason for the accidents.

Motorcycling is a much larger sport/recreation than skydiving and the shear volume of motorcycle related accidents makes chronicling them in magazines nearly impossible. Still, lots of information on motorcycle safety is lost since there is not a central location to chronicle them.

For bikers, motorcycle safety is built over time as experience in different traffic, weather, and emergency situations is gained. Unlike parachuting, there are many more conditions that bikers have to consider to stay safe.

Bikers should pay respects to fallen bikers by learning what caused them to lose their lives. In some cases, their mistakes can help bikers recognize ways they can avoid doing the same things. In cases where a motorist caused the accident, bikers can learn how to avoid potentially dangerous situations.

As I continue to read and research motorcycle related topics, I will keep looking for more sites that honor and chronicle our fallen biker brothers and sisters. Their lives and their lessons should not be lost.

Hi, I’m Tom Kiley, and when my buddies and I go riding we always put safety first. Get a free copy of my motorcycle book for some valuable riding tips. And if you or loved one are ever hurt in the Massachusetts area, contact the Kiley Law Group for legal advice from a real motorcycle attorney.

Distracted driving also risks lives. As bikers, we tend to think about the impact of distracted motorists more than car drivers because we realize that even minor motorcycle accidents could have life changing implications.

This certainly was true for the Zaffke family. In May 2009, Lora Hunt killed motorcycle enthusiast Anita Zaffke in Lake Zurich, IL; who was driving while painting her fingernails. Zaffke was stopped at a red light and Hunt rear-ended her motorcycle at about 50 MPH.

By all accounts Zaffke was a pillar of her community, an excellent mother, and a safety-conscious biker. In May of 2006, Zaffke embarked on a motorcycle road trip she called her ‘epic journey’. Her 2 week, 5000 mile trip took her from the Chicago area to Vancouver, British Columbia and back. During this trip, she wrote in her journal, took photographs, and camped as a means to gain perspective on her life.

To honor his mother and to shed light on this problem, Zaffke’s son Greg created the Black Nail Brigade. This motorcycle safety organization is working hard to make sure that people in the greater Illinois area and across the United States are aware of the circumstances surrounding his mother’s death and the scourge of distracted drivers.

The case against Lora Hunt also brings to light some interesting legal considerations. There are arguments suggesting that while distracted driving is a terrible practice, it is not necessarily criminal. This argument will be center stage at Hunt’s trial for the death of Anita Zaffke scheduled for May 3, 2010; almost a year from the date of Zaffke’s death.

On Saturday, May 1 2010, the Black Nail Brigade is sponsoring an Epic Ride to commemorate Anita Zaffke’s life and to replicate her ride from 2006. If you cannot attend but would like to contribute to this cause, their website provides opportunities to donate or purchase apparel.

If you’ve been injured in a motorcycle accident due to the negligence of another driver, contact motorcycle enthusiast and Andover personal injury lawyer, Tom Kiley.

My toothache also corresponded with a very nice weekend. All week, I looked forward to the weekend so I can put some major miles on my motorcycle. Once I figured out that the dentist would be able to help me manage the pain of the toothache, I figured I still would be able to ride.

Then I took one of the pain pills.

Very quickly after taking one of the pain pills, I quickly realized that riding my motorcycle would not be an option. The pain medication made me extremely sleepy and I noticed my motor skills were very sluggish. In this case, motorcycles and medication don’t mix.

Everyone knows that motorcycles and alcohol and motorcycles and illegal drugs don’t mix at all. Riding a motorcycle under the influence of medication is an equally bad idea.

If you are taking medication, here are a few safety tips to follow:

• Talk to your doctor or pharmacist: Make sure to ask your doctor or pharmacist if operating a vehicle is ok when taking the medication they prescribed. Make sure to follow their instructions fully.

• Read the instructions: Read the instructional information that comes with your prescription. Usually the information will state likely effects of the medications and whether you should operate a vehicle or not.

• Take medication as prescribed: Do not alter the dosage of the medication without speaking to your doctor. Changing the dosage can have adverse affects or enhance the negative affects of the medication.

• Eat and drink:  Make sure to eat and drink fluids as instructed by your doctor. Some medications can make you ill or increase the adverse effects if you don’t.

• Watch for interactions: Even a small amount of alcohol, other medications, or certain foods can cause a negative interaction.

Be safe, be smart, and don’t take any unnecessary risks when it comes to riding your motorcycle. There will be plenty of nice days in the future to ride so if you are on medication that impairs your skills, simply wait until you are cleared by your doctor to ride.

Hi, I’m Tom Kiley, and when my buddies and I go riding we always put safety first. Get a free copy of my motorcycle book for some valuable riding tips. And if you or loved one are ever hurt in the Massachusetts area, contact the Kiley Law Group for legal advice from a real motorcycle attorney.