Ohio Motorcycle Lawyer Promotes Biker Safety on Times Square

Ohio Motorcycle Attorney Anthony Castelli Promotes Accident Safety

May is Motorcycle Safety Awareness month so Ohio Motorcycle Lawyer Anthony Castelli decided to promote motorcycle safety on Times Square. If you look close you can see the statement Watch For Motorcycles on the Reuters international news agency sign located on Times Square in the Big Apple.

The purpose of this month is to raise the awareness of anyone on the road driving a motor vehicle about how to prevent motorcycle accidents. This means that motorcycle riders as well as car drivers all have their part. It is important to know what are the major causes of motorcycle crashes so you can begin to practice prevention.

Causes of Fatal Single Motorcycle Crashes

In 2001 the federal government National Highway Traffic Safety administration released a comprehensive study of single vehicle fatal motorcycle crashes.(1) They found that most single motorcycle wrecks were associated with:

Speeding

Alcohol use

Curves in the road 

This is my summary, but it appears that these three factors were of major influence. 60 percent of all fatal motorcycle drivers had alcohol in their system. See the Chart below.

60% of fatalities occurred on rural roads while negotiating a curve.

58% of fatalities of operators were associated with speeding

We are killing ourselves in record numbers due to booze, speed and inability to negotiate turns. This implicates conscious choice as well as poor driving ability. 

My Conclusion is don't drink and drive, don't speed, and learn how to take curves. Slow down before you get into the curve. Braking in a curve is a recipe for disaster, as is target fixation. Where you look is where that motorcycle will go.

Let's get our own house in order. Let's control what we can control. 

Causes of Motorcycle and other Vehicle Crashes

I do not even have to cite a source to know that these crashes are primarily caused by car driver inattention and not looking effectively. That's why we say Look Twice Save a Life and why I put on the Reuters international news agency sign Watch For Motorcycles. Failure to yield the right of way by the car driver was the cause of 35% of the fatalities. (2)

So everyone do your part. Please! Too many motorcyclists are dying. we all can do better.

1.http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/809-360.pdf Fatal single vehicle motorcycle crashes.

2. http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/810834.pdf  Fatal two vehicle motorcycle crashes

Motorcycle safety Resource: http://blog.castellilaw.com/ohio-motorcycle-attorney-promotes-may-is-motorcycle-month.html

About the Author

Anthony Castelli is a personal injury lawyer with 30 years of experience in injury safety law. He rides a motorcycle and promotes motorcycle safety. He is the author of The Ohio Motorcycle Bible - The Guide to Protecting Ohio Motorcyclists and Their Families. He offers his Ohio motorcycle safety kit free to Ohio motorcycle residents. You can contact him at 1-800-447-6549. He handles personal injury claims and has represented many injured motorcycle riders to help them recover physically and financially.