The true dangers of driving a motorcycle vs a car

Many Connecticut residents can’t wait until the spring and summer months come around so that they can enjoy the freedom of the open road on their motorcycles. Unfortunately, as more motorcycle riders take to the highway, the number of accidents increases drastically. If you’re thinking about taking your motorcycle out, it’s important to understand the various dangers that exist.

The lack of safety features on a motorcycle

Cars are commonly built with a multitude of safety features to help protect drivers and passengers when a motor vehicle accident occurs. Unfortunately, motorcycles do not come with the same standard safety features. They don’t have airbags, seat belts or an encapsulated cabin to protect the driver. The lack of these safety features is what puts a motorcycle driver at a higher risk for sustaining more serious injuries when involved in an accident.

What are the main causes of accidents?

While motorcycles and cars look extremely different, they do tend to have similar accident causes. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the top three causes of accidents include drunk driving, speeding and distracted driving. While there are more accidents involving cars each year than motorcycles, this is commonly attributed to the fact that there are more cars on the roadway.

However, when it comes to roadway fatalities, motorcycles tend to be worse. When looking at the number of fatalities that happened in 2017, all of the statistics were very clear. For 100,000 registered vehicles, there were 10.05 fatalities. When looking at the number of fatalities per 100,000 registered motorcycle drivers, the statistics reveal that 59.34 people died.

While getting behind those handlebars and feeling the open road on your face can be a great experience in the summertime, it can also be dangerous. It’s important that drivers take all the necessary precautions, such as wearing a helmet and always running with their headlights on to help reduce their risk of being involved in an accident. If you’ve already been involved in a roadway accident, you should speak with an attorney to ensure that your best interests are looked after during the claims process.