May might by National Motorcycle Safety Awareness month, but riders will be on the road all summer long in New Jersey. Unfortunately, a pleasure ride can turn into a life-changing event if you are involved in a motorcycle accident. According to statistics from the Governors Highway Safety Association, deaths related to motorcycle crashes increased approximately 10 percent from 2014 to 2015, with more than 5,000 deaths occurring just last year. In New Jersey, 62 people lost their lives in motorcycle accidents in 2014, an almost 9 percent increase from 2013’s 57 fatalities.
Two of the most common types of motorcycle accidents are head-on collisions with another vehicle and a collision with another vehicle that is making a left-hand turn. Forty-two percent of motorcycle accidents happen when a car is trying to make a left-hand turn. Because motorcycles are much smaller than cars, it can be more difficult for drivers to accurately judge how fast a motorcycle is approaching from the oncoming direction. A driver may be more likely to underestimate how fast the motorcycle is going and attempt to make a left-hand turn across traffic without enough time to clear the intersection. Head-on collisions are also very common – 78 percent of car/motorcycle accidents are head-on – and may be caused by the driver going left of the center line, a common occurrence in distracted or drunk driving accidents.
Speak with an attorney
No matter the reasons behind the crash, a motorcycle/car accident can be extremely serious due to size disparity between the car and the motorcycle and the relatively little impact protection the motorcycle offers the rider. If you or someone you know has been injured while riding a motorcycle, contact Lieberman, Ryan & Forrest, L.L.C., to schedule your free initial consultation with one of our experienced personal injury attorneys. We can go over the particulars of your case and help you get a better idea of your legal options to pursue compensation.