The month of May is frequently the first of the year that is warm enough for motorcycles to be out on the roads of New Hampshire on a regular basis. After being hidden in garages all winter, the sudden presence of motorcycles on the roads can come as a surprise. This can make it helpful for motorcyclists and car drivers to review some of the safety tips that can prevent a motorcycle accident.
MOTORCYCLISTS: WEAR A HELMET
Motorcyclists are probably tired of hearing this safety tip. They are probably sick of hearing estimates by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) that say helmets saved the lives of 1,772 bikers in 2015 alone.
So here is an important aspect of helmet safety that is often not discussed: If you were not wearing a helmet when you suffered a head injury in a motorcycle accident in New Hampshire, and a helmet would have reduced the costs of the medical expenses you needed to recover, you might be held partially negligent for your injuries. This will prohibit you from recovering the amount you need to make a full recovery.
DRIVERS: GIVE BIKERS MORE FOLLOWING SPACE
Motorcycles are smaller and lighter than regular cars. This lets them come to a full stop much quicker than a car can. When you are driving behind a motorcycle, you will want to give them more space than you would if you were following a car.
MOTORCYCLISTS: STAY SOBER
Motorbikes require more skill to drive than a car, and those skills deteriorate with the more alcohol you drink. Additionally, the freeing feeling of riding a motorcycle can entice inebriated bikers into reckless maneuvers that they know not to do when sober.
As a result, the NHTSA found that 42% of the motorcyclists who died in single-vehicle crashes—crashes that are predominantly caused by driver error or recklessness—were over the legal blood alcohol limit.
DRIVERS: MAKE A POINT OF LOOKING FOR MOTORCYCLISTS
Many of the motorcycle accidents that happen in New Hampshire are the result of driver negligence, and a significant portion of those come from drivers who misjudge the speed or distance of a biker or who simply fail to look for them at all.
The vast majority of other vehicles on the road are cars or trucks. People who drive these cars and trucks, however, make the mistake of assuming that everything on the road is a car or truck and forget that motorcycles are out there, too. Motorcycles can “slip under the radar” of drivers who make this assumption, to disastrous results.
MOTORCYCLE ACCIDENTS IN NEW HAMPSHIRE: TENN AND TENN, P.A.
The personal injury attorneys at the Manchester law office of Tenn And Tenn, P.A. represent victims of motorcycle accidents all the time. If you or someone you love has been hurt in one of these terrible crashes, you need legal help. Contact us online or call our lawyers at (603) 614-5055 for the legal representation you need to get the compensation you deserve from the person responsible to pay it.