Motorcycle Season Starts Soon – Are you ready?

Motorcycle Season

Riding on a motorcycle can be a fun yet incredibly dangerous activity. As the weather begins to warm up soon, many bikers will, no doubt, be hitting the road. But before motorcycle season begins, it is important to understand a few things about the risks of such an activity. When a collision involving a motorcycle occurs on the road, the consequences are almost certainly going to be far worse than a collision involving two cars. Because bikers are completely exposed to the elements, they have very little to protect them in an accident compared to automobile drivers. This is why it is crucial for bikers to take the necessary precautions to avoid injury as much as possible.

Take Precautions

It is undeniable that there are a lot of careless and reckless drivers out there, and a biker certainly may have a justified claim against another driver for being at fault in a collision. However, bikers should always take precautions such as always wearing a helmet (it’s the law), and by wearing protective gear that covers their entire body while riding. Never wear shorts or short sleeved shirts and always wear boots, not shoes. If a biker falls while riding, they could suffer road rash and other serious injuries that could have been easily avoided had they worn the appropriate protection. What a biker wore or did not wear could have long term consequences should they become involved in litigation against another driver. In litigation, it will likely be disclosed what the biker was wearing at the time of the accident. If it is revealed that the biker was careless in protecting him or herself by either not wearing protective clothing, the court may find there was contributory negligence and if the court rules in the biker’s favour, their award could be reduced dramatically. Even if a claim gets settled prior to trial, the defence lawyer may use the factor of contributory negligence as leverage for reducing their offer knowing the biker will not have such a strong case in court.  This is definitely a situation a biker does not want to find him or herself in addition to the injuries he or she has suffered and may struggle to recover from.

Collision Injuries

There is no getting around the fact that injuries that arise from a motorcycle collision can be devastating. If the head is impacted, that could result in a traumatic brain injury and could affect a biker for the rest of his or her life and he or she may never drive again. If the spine is impacted that could potentially lead to paralysis.  And of course there is the strong possibility of breaking any number of bones in the body. Regardless of the type of injuries, these should obviously be avoided at all costs by taking the aforementioned precautions and being a safe and vigilant driver on the road who is always aware of his or her surroundings and drives responsibly.