Motorcycle Safety and Accident Prevention Measures
People commonly think that motorcycle riders are reckless, are habitually speeders, and take unnecessary risks, but in my experience with motorcycle riders, it has been exactly the opposite. They are safety conscious, aware of their surroundings, usually riding in groups, and have taken safety courses and the biases are mostly unwarranted. They may have been formed by a few reckless folks that they may have run across, however, that is the exception, not the norm.
Both motorcyclists and automobile drivers in Winston-Salem can take the following safety and accident prevention measures for the continued safety of motorcyclists. If you have been injured as a result of an accident, contact a Winston-Salem motorcycle accident attorney.
Safety Measures
Drivers should always keep a careful lookout from motorcyclists, especially when the weather is nice.Sometimes, a person can hear a motorcycle before he or she sees it as well.
If he or she is going to change lanes or turn, drivers have to signal their intent to move, in order to communicate to other drivers on the road that they are going to move. If the person does not have an electronic signal, he or she has to use a hand signal as safely as possible.
In Winston-Salem, motorcycle helmets are required for all drivers and passengers on motorcycles and mopeds, as are certain lighting requirements. Motorcyclists are required to abide by all of the same traffic laws as other automobile drivers in Winston-Salem
The faster the bike, motorcycle, or moped can move, the better the protective equipment they should have. If the vehicle is moving at 60 miles an hour, the person would want more protective equipment than something moving 30 miles an hour.
Precautions
Some precautions motorcycle drivers can take to prevent motorcycle accidents include making sure that the person can be seen by lighting on his or her motorcycle both to the front and to the rear, reflective clothing if possible, or reflective pieces of equipment on the helmet and on his or her pants, and anything that would increase the odds of being seen.
As an automobile driver, an individual can keep a reasonable lookout and listen for motorcycles to help prevent motorcycle accidents.
Off-road precautions a person should take include:
- Maintaining equipment
- Proper tire inflation
- Wearing reflective gear
- Ensuring motorcycle is in proper mechanical working order
In Case of an Accident
Following a motorcycle accident, the motorcyclist should seek appropriate medical treatment as soon as reasonably possible. Motorcyclists should have the following information on them:
- Emergency contacts
- Automobile liability insurance
- Health insurance
- Information for first responders such as allergies, medical conditions, etc.
Motorcycle Accident Claim
Wearing a motorcycle helmet can help lessen the damages in the injuries in case of a motorcycle accident. Additionally, in a personal injury case, it would help combat biases people have against motorcycle drivers, that they may be unnecessarily reckless, helping their case.
Having a camera attached to an individual’s helmet or motorcycle could help the person by showing the reckless conduct of others in the case of an accident. However, it can be potentially harmful if it were to show the movement the motorcycle driver made was dangerous and not in conformity.
