Motorcycles are one of the most fun vehicles to drive on the road. It’s open air, exciting, and most of all, very fast. You can literally feel yourself just glide through the roads and pass every car. The mobile nature of the vehicle lets you just zoom past everyone and experience that rush. It is basically a bicycle but on crack.
But, one must consider the negatives of riding a motorcycle too. A motorcycle is literally just a faster bicycle, and thus comes with the same consequences, but magnified by the speed. Since a motorcycle has literally zero protection from any sort of collision, the accident injuries from a motorcycle can be devastating.
When sharing the road with countless motor vehicles, every driver must uphold their duty to keep the safety on the road at its maximum. Just a few seconds or even just a second of not paying attention can alter the fate of drivers on the road.
But what is the MAIN CAUSE of motorcycle accidents with cars in Miami?
Driver Negligence
Driver negligence is the main cause of motorcycle accidents in Miami.
Negligence is the act of failing to uphold the safety on the roads. This is actually the main cause of ANY motor vehicle accident. Negligence will not only result in accidents that will cause devastating property damage, but it will also result in devastating bodily injury.
Driver’s negligence is already bad enough, but being the victim of a motorcycle accident in Miami as a result of that negligence is even worse. A motorcyclist is 27 times more likely to die and 5 times more likely to get injured in a motorcycle accident in Miami. This just shows how easy it is to not only get injured, but to become a victim of a wrongful motorcycle death in Miami. It is commonly forgotten, but a driver’s license is actually a privilege. It is not a God given right to have a driver’s license. Ignoring the basic driving rules and not being courteous to the road can result in deadly consequences.
3 Most Common Causes For Motorcycle Accidents
Blind Spots
Even with all the cameras on as many mirrors as possible and sensors to cover our blind spots, there is still the possibility of missing something. If you really think about it, if it wasn’t for the side view and rear view mirrors, you would probably be very much lost or constantly turning your head to either side to make absolutely sure that there are no cars where you want to merge or turn.
One of the most dangerous things is not considering that there may be a motorcyclist in your blind spot and NOT using your turn signal. Your turn signal tells other drivers that they should be wary that your car will be changing lanes or turning.
The turning signal also gives motorcyclists time to react and slow down. Just swerving into another lane without the use of a turning signal is one of the most dangerous things that a driver can do. This can lead to property damage for BOTH sides and also life changing accident injuries.
In addition, blind spots can result in a slight change of perception.
Instead of checking by turning their head side to side and checking each side, lots of drivers just use their side view mirrors and determine their next decision through that. The side view mirrors actually can cause a slight change in perception in relation to distance and speed. Cars actually look slightly further away than they actually are. Drivers that are solely driving based on their side view and rear view can endanger the road because of this reason.
Yielding Right Of Way
Even seasoned drivers forget about this, but right of way is an important rule on the road. Right of way is basically yielding to the car that legally has the right to go first.
For example, if two cars stop at an intersection where there’s stop signs, the car that stopped first is the car that also gets to go first.
Another example is at an intersection. At intersections, the right of way goes to the car that is going straight and its own lane. A car that is turning into the lane of another car does not have right of way. If your car is turning left on an intersection and there is a car on the opposite lane going straight, that car has right of way, by law. There is no arguing this.
Many cars fail to yield right of way when it comes to motorcycles. It is especially important to consider that motorcycles are much smaller than cars and are easier to miss. Knowing this, it is important to always yield right of way to motorcycles, or any motor vehicle for that matter. The resulting motorcycle accident and the injuries can be deadly and result in long-term setbacks.
Distracted Driving
This is not only the worst out of the bunch, but also the most preventable. Distracted driving has gotten worse over the years because of the prevalence of technology and how we have become dependent on it for many things.
There are 3 types of distractions:
- Cognitive takes your MIND off the wheel
- Visual takes your EYES off the wheel
- Manual takes your HANDS off the wheel
Each of these kinds of distractions are deadly and can result in consequences.
Commonly, smartphones are seen as a distraction for drivers. But that is not really the whole story. A distraction is simply anything that can take your attention off the road or wheel. Even changing the music on your radio can be considered a distraction because you must not only dedicate your brain to changing the radio station and picking a station, you must also temporarily take your eyes off the road to see what station you want. In addition, you would probably have to change the radio ticker with at least one of your hands.
This is how distractions work. It is not always just ONE part that gets distracted, but a conjunction of two or three that turns the distraction into something dangerous.
For that second or two, the distracted driver might THINK that they are doing something absolutely harmless, but by then it’s too late when they hit the motorcyclist.
Drunk Driving
Drunk driving is also considered distracted driving.
Even though there have been PLENTY of campaigns, shows, and PSAs to stop people from drunk driving, it is still a common thing that people do.
Drunk driving is BY FAR the most dangerous thing you can do. Not only does it impair your reaction time, it also affects your vision and also blurs the lines between colors. This makes it extremely hard for you to distinguish colors in addition to the other impairments that alcohol adds to your body.
Miami Motorcycle Accident Lawyers
Truck accidents can be devastating.
They can result in injuries and losses that are exponentially worse than a regular car accident. Trucks can be more than 3 times the weight of a car, which can multiply the severity of losses. If losses get severe, they can lead to even more time away from your regular life and possibly even death.
This is where a car accident lawyer in Miami comes into play.
A car accident lawyer can help you bridge the gap between you and the lawyers of the other party. When it comes to getting the full financial compensation for your injuries, there is no one that will be on your side other than your own car accident lawyer. Our car accident lawyers do not work for the insurance companies or other lawyers, we are 100% on your side and want to make sure that you are satisfied with your financial compensation.
You shouldn’t have to pay for the injuries that were caused by another party while also having to recover from the physical anguish that they caused you. The legal process of getting your money back may become murkier than you think. Calling adjusters, being specific with your wording, negotiating terms and agreements, signing papers, calling insurance agents and companies, the list goes on. Saying the wrong thing or mistiming an appointment may lead to your case going into the ground and eventually not working out for you.
The car accident lawyers in Miami are experienced with decades of work, have won millions, and served 100s of clients to this day. Our firm offers a free consultation to hear out what happened to you and how we can be of service to you. From there, we will guide you and make sure that you are in the know of how your case is going.
