Santa Maria Motorcycle Accident Attorney

Motorcycles offer none of the safety buffers of a standard passenger car, so it is no small wonder that the outcome of most motorcycles versus car/truck/SUV/van or other vehicle is so poor. And while all motorists traversing the roadways in California have a duty to exercise caution and care when they drive, some drivers tend to give less care than they should to motorcyclists sharing the roadway. This can lead to catastrophic injuries and unnecessary deaths. If you or someone you love has been hurt while operating a motorcycle, speak with a motorcycle accident attorney right away to preserve your right to collect damages for your injuries.

Driver Mistakes With Serious (and Sometimes, Deadly) Consequences

Some motorist behaviors are more apt to result in injured motorcyclists than others. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), some of these include:

• Following motorcycles too closely: A distracted or speeding motorist who is too close to the motorcycle in front of them can rear-end the motorcycle, leading to horrific accidents.
• Unsafe or improper left-hand turns: Left-hand turns lead to two out of every five crashes between motorcycles and other vehicles on the road. The trouble arises when turning motorists miscalculate the speed of oncoming motorcyclists or fail to see them coming altogether. What results if a side-impact or a head-on collision, sometimes with deadly results for the operator of the motorcycle who is sometimes thrown from their motorcycles and onto the highway or elsewhere. It is not uncommon to see fatalities and permanent disabilities result from left-hand turn crashes.
• Excess speed: Motorists who speed or who fail to slow down for bad weather or other roadway or traffic conditions that necessitate a lower speed put everyone on the road in jeopardy. This is especially true of motorcyclists who may be involved in a rear-end collision with a passenger vehicle that is unable to stop in time due to excessive speeding.
• Lane changes: While motorists do a fair job of looking for other vehicles when changing lanes, they sometimes fail to see motorcyclists. When this happens, it is not unusual for a motorist to change lanes in the pathway of the motorcycle, causing catastrophic injuries and deaths.