With spring in the air and summer quickly approaching, we want to remind the Sarasota community to be on the lookout for motorcycles on the roads. While motorcyclists can pretty much ride year round in Florida, there are many riders who tuck their bikes away for the winter and bring them out again in late spring. What this means is that there is a surge of motorcycles on the road during this time of the year.

Unfortunately, many drivers already have a hard time spotting motorcycles or looking out for bikes. As a result, all drivers—especially at this time of the year—need to be reminded to watch out for motorcycles and yield to motorcyclists. When drivers fail to use caution and watch out for motorcyclists, left turn accidents can occur.

Spring Blooms Left Turn Accidents

With the motorcycle friendly climate during spring, more two-wheeled vehicles take to the streets. Unfortunately, with the increase in riders comes the increase in collisions—especially left-hand turn crashes. Many drivers pulling out of a street or driveway or turning left at an intersection fail to notice motorcycles. As a result, drivers end up pulling out in front of motorcycles.

This is why it is critical that drivers aren’t distracted, eating breakfast, texting while driving, or grooming. Unfortunately, too many motorists are participating in some form of distracted driving, causing them to violate a motorcyclist’s right-of-way. According to Motorcycle Accident Cause Factors, a study conducted by the National Technical Information Service (NTIS), about 75 percent of motorcycle crashes involve another car, and in the majority of the cases, the accident is caused by the fault of the driver of the car violating the motorcyclist’s right-of-way. The reason? Most motorists simply fail to pay attention to motorcyclists.

The NTIS study revealed that the most common type of collision between cars and motorcycles involved vehicles making left-hand turns into the pathway of oncoming motorcycles. When this happens and motorcyclists have only a few seconds to react, they may apply the brakes too hard, which could cause them to slide out or be ejected in the crash. Unfortunately, serious injuries are often the result of left turn accidents, such as:

  • Broken bones
  • Mild to severe traumatic brain injury
  • Spinal cord injuries
  • Partial or full loss of limbs or fingers and toes
  • Nerve damage
  • Paralysis
  • Death

At Mallard Perez, we hope this reminder will help drivers to be on the lookout for motorcyclists. Make sure you do your part and share this information with others on Facebook to help reduce motorcycle crashes.

Damian Mallard, Esq.
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Board Certified Sarasota Personal Injury Attorney