Articles Posted in Motorcycle Safety

For anyone who intends to ride a motorcycle, but who lacks the training or background to date, Maryland’s (HSO) Highway Safety Office has a safety awareness curriculum that may be just the thing for people looking to better their chances for a safe and lower-risk biking career. Whether for a pastime, sport or strictly commuting, motorcycles offer a number of practical advantages over passenger cars. Unfortunately, increased safety may not really be one of them.

As Baltimore auto accident lawyers, my firm is prepared to represent victims of motorcycle collisions, not to mention people hurt as a result of car or commercial truck accident. I and my colleagues understand why motorcycle riding is not a risk-free hobby, but we also know that riding a whatever bike — be it a Honda, Harley, or Yamaha; cruiser, chopper or sport bike — is an experience not soon forgotten. The fact is, motorcycle riding is a balance between the excitement and freedom of the open road tempered by a heightened awareness of one’s vulnerability.

Nobody would argue that being struck by a car or truck while on a bike could end one’s life. On the other hand, with the proper amount of risk management and proper safety equipment, most any biker can find himself living to a ripe old age. Still, it never hurts to have a refresher course in the basics from time to time. Certainly the uninitiated should seriously consider a motorcycle safety program like the one that Maryland provides.

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Numerous states across the nation have mandatory helmet laws for motorcycle riders, yet others have none. While the argument continues between safety advocates on one side and those who hold individual rights in high esteem on the other, one thing is certain: the debate will likely continue for some time to come.

As Maryland personal injury attorneys, I and my colleagues have first-hand experience in representing individuals hurt as a result of highway traffic wrecks. Since a percentage of motor vehicle collisions involve people on motorcycles, there are numerous news stories every year illustrating the dangers of being hit by a car or commercial truck while operating a Harley, Honda, Yamaha or Kawasaki.

Whatever one’s personal feelings about the using a motorcycle helmet, riders in Baltimore, Annapolis, Gaithersburg and even in Washington, D.C., are required by law to wear an approved helmet at all times while on public roads. It’s a fair bet that most of the driving public believes that a helmet can help protect a biker from serious head injury — such as closed-head trauma — in the event of a bad motorcycle crash.

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Despite Mother Nature’s on again, off again moods, winter is probably here to stay (at least for the next several months). That said, we know that there is always a small but dedicated group of motorcycle riders who cannot let a sunny day and dry pavement slip by without firing up their Harleys, Hondas and Kawasakis, regardless of what the thermometer says. For dyed-in-the-wool bikers, it would appear that any excuse to ride is a good excuse.

Fortunately, most of those individuals who dare to brave the winter elements on a two-wheeler also have the experience to avoid the many of the dangers lurking out on our public roads. Traffic accidents are an everyday event in Maryland; winter only adds a new twist on events. Early sunsets, patches of black ice hidden in the shadows, and those always dangerous drunk drivers plying the roadways in search of the next holiday party; these are just a few of the dangers facing motorcyclists this time of year.

As Maryland personal injury attorneys representing individuals who have been hurt in car and commercial trucking accidents, we understand that riding a bike is a wonderful and freeing experience. But we also know that risk is a big part of the sport. Because of this, it’s no secret that traffic accidents between bikes and other, larger motor vehicles can result in serious injuries such as broken bones, compound fractures, cut and lacerations, not to mention closed-head injuries.

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Don’t sell your safety or health short by choosing sub-standard protective gear for riding your bike. This is the message that many safety experts have tried to pass on to motorcyclists and bicycle riders over the years. Most importantly, both of these groups should pay particular attention in their choice of helmet for riding. It is true, not all brain buckets are created equal.

As Baltimore injury attorneys, we have represented Maryland motorcyclists who have become involved in car crashes and we also know the post-crash effect of riding with no or poorly designed safety equipment. As supposedly uncomfortable and isolating that motorcycle helmets are, the alternative can be many times more uncomfortable and potentially life-altering. Although many states have no mandatory helmet law, Maryland is not one of them.

Whether you ride on the state’s rural roads or ply the densely trafficked city streets of Annapolis, Washington, D.C., or Rockville, the country roads, one thing is certain: no biker cannot go back in time, prior to a serious traffic accident, and don a helmet to protect himself. When it comes to the future, the proactive approach is usually the most prudent course of action.

As every good rider knows, the key element of a motorcyclist’s protective wardrobe is his or her helmet. Of course, gloves, boots, a decent pair of chaps or overalls, and a good leather jacket are all recommended for the best possible protection, but an industry- and government-approved helmet is paramount. Going without this important item is just inviting disaster.

Yet, many bikers apparently don’t believe in the safety benefits of high-quality headgear, and as such many decide to buy and wear an illegal helmet. The reason why is up for debate; however, cost could be one or fashion another. What the experts seem to agree on, however, is that relying on a novelty helmet or a cheap knock-off to protect you in the event of a motorcycle wreck is a false economy that one could live to regret. And if not the rider, then his or her family if the crash is fatal.

According to news reports, many bikers who wear sub-standard novelty or beanie-type helmets don’t realize that they are violating the Department of Transportation law — namely the one that requires a helmet to meet Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 218.

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For many people out there it may come as somewhat of a surprise that there are individuals who drive a car, motorcycle or commercial vehicle without being properly licensed. For some, the cost of obtaining a valid passenger car or commercial driver’s license is apparently too much to spend. As Maryland personal injury attorneys, we come across this situation from time to time and it is disconcerting.

When it comes to bikers, it would not be a stretch to say that there are people operating motorcycles on public roads who do not possess the proper endorsement from the state. In fact, here in Baltimore, we have had problems with individuals breaking the law by riding unlicensed and possibly uninsured trail bikes and other off-road vehicles on city streets and causing occasional traffic accidents.

It is possible that there are some very competent motorcycle riders out there who, for whatever reason, choose to operate a bike illegally by not becoming properly licensed. Is it a matter of cost, of time, or a lack of concern? There is no easy answer. Many of these individuals do not get caught until they get pulled over for a traffic violation or end up getting into a traffic accident with another vehicle.

As Baltimore injury accident lawyers, we are well aware of the laws and statutes created to protect motorists, including motorcycle riders, here in Maryland. These laws, while seeming to some as interfering with personal freedom were nonetheless written with good intentions in mind, especially where they provide safer and less dangerous traffic conditions for riders and passenger car drivers alike.

When it comes to traffic laws specifically written with bikers in mind — helmet regulations and lane-sharing laws immediately come to mind — these likely vary from one state to another. All the same, it is critical that every motorist who shares our public roadways clearly understands and follows these rules.

By all bikers being aware of and abiding by Maryland’s helmet and other mototcycle-related traffic laws, this can go a long way toward helping to reduce the instance of motorcycle crashes in cities like Frederick, Rockville, Hagerstown and Bowie.

Anybody who has ever seen a friend or relative in a hospital ward following a serious motorcycle crash can understand how extensive a rider’s injuries can truly be. Compared a person injured in a passenger car or commercial truck accident, under similar circumstances, the motorcyclist is usually worse off following the wreck.

The laws of physics being what they are, fate does not lend a biker much margin of safety when tangling with an SUV, pickup truck or 18-wheeler. In cases where a rider is hit by a car or box truck on a city street or highway, size is a big factor in who ends up in the emergency room. Sadly, in such accidents the motorcyclist typically loses that encounter hands down.

Whether a person is riding a motorcycle, scooter, bicycle and other two-wheeled vehicle, a traffic accident can land the rider in the hospital with cuts, bruises and road rash, if they are lucky. Worse accidents can result in neck and spinal damage, or traumatic brain injury. Here’s a short list of some Maryland state laws that may help save your life.

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