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Michigan Motorcycle Accident Attorney Reminds Drivers May Is Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month
May has been designated as Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month. Motorcycle Safety Awareness month is a campaign proclaimed by many local and county governments throughout the United States that calls attention to the dangers and vulnerabilities motorcyclists face on the roads and highways.
The personal injury law firm of Buckfire & Buckfire, P.C. represent victims injured in a Michigan motorcycle accident, and are immense advocates of this month as they see the results of catastrophic motorcycle accidents and the effect the injuries have on motorcyclist victims and their family throughout the entire spring and summer season.
Throughout the month of May, the National Safety Council (NSC) encourages drivers to share the road with motorcycles and be extra alert when they are nearby. The NSC has good means behind this awareness campaign, as statistics do prove that most motorcycle crash injuries are caused by the negligence of another driver. In fact, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 75% of all motorcycle accidents happen when a vehicle fails to see the motorcycle before the collision. Other common causes for motorcycle collisions include trucks or cars forcing bikers into a guard rail and speeding on behalf of a driver and/or a motorcyclist.
Often times when a victim is injured in a bike accident, they do not walk away free and clear of injuries. The NHTSA states that crashes involving a bike and a car did result in 98% of people being injured. In addition, crashes involving just the driver of the motorcycle resulted in 96% of people being injured. In 2010 alone, motorcycle accidents attributed to 14% of fatalities.
Part of the awareness campaign, is to offer helpful tips to aide drivers and motorcyclists to stay safe on the roads and share the road. Some of these helpful tips include:
1. Allow greater following distance when driving behind a motorcycle.
2. Do not share a lane with a biker. Always give a motorcyclist the full lane width.
3. Show extra caution in intersections.
4. Motorcyclists should position their bike to avoid a driver’s blind spot.
Besides helpful tips, resources are also a valid part of the campaign. At the law firm of Buckfire & Buckfire, P.C., our attorneys offer a free app as a resource to riders. The free app aids bikers in their travels across the U.S., Canada, Europe, and Australia.
The “Helmet Laws App” is available for immediate download and allows motorcyclist to access important helmet law information quickly and conveniently right from their smartphone, along with many other cool features and valuable resources for bikers such as, GPS Bike Finder, accident checklist to inform a rider what to do after a crash, discounts at some of your favorite bike shops around the country, and a cool helmet gallery where motorcyclist can submit photos.. The App is available for the iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, and Android. To download the free app, just go to iTunes or Google Play Store and search for “Motorcycle Helmet Laws.”
“We would like to remind people, especially new drivers, to be on the lookout for motorcycles and to share the road with them safely. It is very easy for a motorcyclist to be hidden in a driver’s blind spot. This is why our biker injury attorneys highly recommend drivers to keep all distractions away while behind the wheel and to be fully aware that it is spring time and motorcycle riders are out on the roads” says Lawrence Buckfire, Owner and Trial Attorney at Buckfire & Buckfire, P.C.
About: Buckfire & Buckfire, P.C.
Buckfire & Buckfire, P.C. is a family-owned Michigan personal injury law firm that represents bikers injured in a Michigan accident. This includes motorcycle accidents involving cars, trucks, and motorcycles and all types of injuries resulting, including, but not limited to brain injury and closed head injuries, spinal cord injury, broken bones and fractures, back and neck injuries, shoulder injuries, knee injuries, scarring and disfigurement, road rash requiring significant skin grafts, burn injuries, amputation injuries, and all other types of serious injuries.