Accidents
Motorcycle Accidents
There are thousands of people (men and women) who are drawn to the thrill of taking to the open road on two wheels. You can really experience freedom on the roads; you can beat the queues, nip through the traffic in a way that car drivers can only dream of!
However, with the rise in biking it means there is an increase in the likelihood of a motorcyclist having to pursue a claim for compensation, at some time.
Drivers responded to the Motorcycle Action Group (MAG) in the form of questionnaire answers. The report showed that:
- road users’ perception of motorcycles, especially at junctions, is a big issue.
- “not seeing” a motorcycle because of car windscreen pillars is often stated.
- motorcyclists have more problems with particular types of accidents, like those on “bends” and overtaking, than other vehicles.
- there are two main groups of riders with different skill sets. The first is young and inexperienced riders; the second is older, more experienced riders.
In 1999 one motorcyclist was killed or seriously injured for every 666,894 kilometres ridden and was 28 times more likely to be killed or seriously injured on UK roads than car drivers.
Motorcyclists often repeat remarks about a car driver’s “Sorry mate, I didn't see you” explanation for collisions, especially at junctions.
Despite this, car drivers, on the whole, still only look for other cars on the road, and not motorcycle riders, and will often blame the motorcyclist following a road accident for careless driving.
Of all assessed incidents, by the Department of Transport, it was found that nearly 40% of accidents involved rights of way violations, and less than 20% of those were attributable to motorcyclists; the majority were found to be the fault of other motorists, occurring at T junctions.
Over 15% of total cases involve loss of control on a bend, corner or curve, but it was found that inexperienced motorcyclists were nearly three times more likely to lose control in these circumstances than the more experienced rider.
If you have been involved in an accident on a motorcycle which wasn’t your fault, whether as the rider or a pillion passenger, you may have a claim.
