Motorcycle Accident Attorney West Sacramento

Motorcycle Accident Attorney West Sacramento

Motorcycle accidents remain some of the most dangerous on our roadways. When you’re on a bike, you have no protection from the impact of an accident, which leaves you exceptionally vulnerable to serious injuries. If someone else’s negligence causes you to be injured in a motorcycle accident, seek the professional legal counsel of an experienced motorcycle accident attorney in West Sacramento, CA, today. 

Motorcycle Accidents

The National Safety Council (NSC) shares all the following telling motorcycle accident statistics:

• Motorcycles make up only 3 percent of all registered vehicles in the country and account for only .6 percent of the vehicle miles traveled, but 14 percent of all traffic fatalities are motorcyclists. 
• From 2007 to 2019, there was a 5.3 percent increase in the death rate for motorcyclists (in relation to vehicle miles traveled). 
• From 2018 to 2019, the number of non-fatal injuries sustained in motorcycle accidents rose by almost 2.4 percent. The injury rate (in terms of vehicle miles traveled) also rose by 4.8 percent (for the same period).

The number of registered motorcycles on our roads increased by 21 percent from 2007 to 2019, but the number of vehicle miles traveled by motorcycles decreased 8 percent over this period. This explains why – although the overall number of motorcycle fatalities decreased over the course of these 12 years – the fatality rate related to vehicle miles traveled increased.

Common Causes of Motorcycle Accidents

All too often, motorcycle accidents are caused by the negligence of other motorists. Such negligence can take all the following life-threatening forms:

• Failure to follow the rules of the road
• Failure to look out for and safely accommodate motorcycles on the road
• Distraction, including texting (the most dangerous distraction of all)
• Impairment (from alcohol and/or drugs)
• Exhaustion (drowsy driving can mimic impaired driving)
• Aggression, which tends to bundle a variety of dangerous practices into a single stretch of driving
• Excess speed, which features prominently in motorcycle accident statistics

When You Ride

When you are on your bike, you are more difficult for other drivers to see in general. It is also easier for you to get lost in their vehicle blind spots. Additionally, you are nimbler when you are on your motorcycle and require less traveling distance when a sudden stop is required. All of these can contribute to your vulnerability on the road. None of this, however, alters the fact that motorists owe everyone with whom they share the road a significant duty of care, including motorcyclists. 

Make the Call to an Experienced Motorcycle Accident Attorney in West Sacramento, California

If someone else’s negligence causes you or someone you love to be injured in a motorcycle accident, the capable motorcycle accident attorneys at the Law Offices of Scott Righthand in West Sacramento are well positioned and well prepared to help. Your rights are too important to ignore, so please do not hesitate to contact us and schedule your free consultation today.