Blog Topic

Rise in Motorcycle Accident Fatalities Linked to Low Helmet Use
March 28, 2008

The rising fatalities from motorcycle accidents have been known to be related to a number of causes including, the increasing age of riders and the more advanced and more powerful machines that are harder to control. According to USA Today, the answer could also lie in the decreasing use of helmets in motorcycle riders.

Back in the days when the number of states that made it mandatory for riders to wear helmets was higher, the fatalities were fewer. But the laws were changed when the government decided to stop withholding highway money from states that did not enforce helmet use. When this happened, it became easier for people to flout helmet laws in their state and many states began getting softer about enforcing the use of helmets.

It might have been a huge mistake it seems because the number of fatalities has risen correspondingly. In 1996, there were 5.6 motorcyclists killed for every 10,000 registered motorcycle owners, while by 2006, this rate had risen to above 7 out of 10,000.

The figures speak for themselves. The number of dead in motorcycle accidents over the same period increased from 2160 to 4180. In sharp contrast, death rates for other passenger vehicles accidents have been falling.

Motorcycle accidents are unique in a number of aspects. For one, more than half of motorcycle accident fatalities did not involve accidents or collisions with another vehicle. The rider simply lost control of his own machine.

Motorcycles account for barely 2 percent of the traffic on the streets. This should naturally mean that they have a smaller percentage of fatalities. Wrong. They account for nearly 10 percent of all street accident fatalities. At least 42 percent of fatalities were not wearing helmets at the time of the accident.

With these kinds of facts and statistics, you would think there would be a bigger lobby trying to enforce stronger helmet laws. It's far from the case. In fact, critics of the helmet law are lobbying to drop these helmet laws. According to them, riding on the bike should be left to riders who need to use their common sense and not be coerced into wearing helmets by the state. The National Transportation Safety Board on its website clearly states that motorcycle accident injuries are a huge drain on public health care in this country, a fact that the anti-helmet lobby denied vehemently.

As of now, just 20 states have laws that require younger riders to wear helmets. At least three states - Illinois, Iowa and New Hampshire have no such laws at all. Other states have made efforts to bring back helmet legislation, but have failed in their attempts. Delaware, Montana, Kansas, Oklahoma and Hawaii did introduce legislation to make helmets compulsory for all motorcyclists but the law wasn't passed.

Regardless of whether states are able to enforce stricter helmet laws or not, we hope that motorcyclists realize the danger to their life and limbs in case of an unfortunate accident. These statistics are particularly troubling when you consider the numbers of young people who ride motorcycles without wearing helmets.

If you have been injured in a motorcycle accident, you need the help of an experienced California personal injury lawyer. Contact an attorney at The Reeves Law Group for a free consultation.

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Two Killed in Motorcycle Accident
March 18, 2008

The dangers of reckless driving and speeding when you're on a motorcycle were brought home again on Sunday night when two people including a motorcycle rider, were killed in an accident.

Early evidence seems to suggest that the motorcyclist, 36-year-old Donnell Dodson Jr., was speeding on his motorcycle on the 55 freeway in Orange, California. It was 11 pm and Dodson was riding the motorcycle in the northbound lanes of the freeway. He lost control of the motorcycle and the vehicle hit the center dividers. The motorcycle was stalled at the divider, but Dodson was thrown across from the northbound lanes into the southbound lanes, with deadly consequences. He was hit many times by different vehicles.

An approaching Honda tried to swerve to avoid Dodson's body that was lying in the lane, and lost control of the vehicle trying to avoid going over the body. The car hit a guardrail and bounced back and into the center divider where a number of other cars struck it. That driver, Kristian Casey Wood, was killed instantly. He was just 20 years old.

There are no reports of any other injuries resulting from the accident.

This has been a tragedy on more than one count. The man speeding on his motorcycle has been killed due to his reckless driving, while another innocent man, who had nothing to do with the first accident has been killed in a ricocheted effect from the accident. This accident again brings to light the special dangers that affect motorcycle riders and the unique precautions they must take to make sure the freeways are safe for them and for other drivers.

Motorcycles accidents have been rising steadily since the nineties. In 2004 in fact, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration confirmed that 4008 motorcycle riders had died, and more then 70,000 had been injured that year alone as result of accidents. At least one third of all motorcycle drivers involved in such accidents are reportedly to be speeding. This is a worrisome trend.

It doesn't take a scientist to understand that motorcycle riders are among the most vulnerable among drivers on the street, perhaps second in accident susceptibility to bicyclists. With very little to protect them from the impact of an accident and being vulnerable to being thrown off in the event of an accident, motorcycle riders face numerous threats to their safety, and indeed their lives. A helmet can prove life saving in a high impact crash.

The rising cases of motorcycle accidents have been compounded by the fact that the demographics of these riders is changing. Older baby boomers in their fifties and sixties form the new layer of riders who are now taking to the streets, that in many ways are unsafe for them.

It's a little late in the day for Donnell Dodson Jr. to learn the number one lesson in motorcycle safety - speed kills. We hope such incidents serve as an eye opener to other drivers on the road who might be tempted to take their life in their own hands.

If you have been injured or a loved one has been killed in a motorcycle accident, you need the help of an experienced California personal injury attorney. Contact a lawyer at The Reeves Law Group for a free consultation.

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