Motorcycles are vulnerable vehicles on roadways due to their size. When accidents occur, riders are at high risk of serious injuries or death, more so than people in other vehicles because of the lack of protection from the motorcycle.
Avoiding an accident is something that requires you to be more aware and to pay attention to what others on the road are doing. However, even if you are the most careful rider, you could still end up in a bad situation. Spectrum News 1 explains in 2020, there was an increase in deaths in motorcycle accidents of 17% for a total of 482 fatalities.
Overall figure down
While the death rate went up for 2020, the overall accident rate went down. Compared to 2019, there were 2% fewer accidents involving motorcycles. The most dangerous time on the road is from May to October, which makes sense since this time of year has the best weather conditions.
Dangerous places
The most dangerous area on a road for motorcycles is intersections. About one-third of the fatal accidents occurred at intersections. Typically, the top reason for this is because drivers in other vehicles do not give motorcycles the right of way, which is usually due to drivers saying they did not see the bikes. However, distracted driving also plays a role.
When you are driving, you must look out for motorcycles. Always look twice, especially at intersections. This will increase the likelihood of seeing the bike and avoiding an accident. If you are a rider, you should always be alert at intersections. Assume drivers may not see you, and do everything you can to increase your visibility.