How to Survive a Motorcycle Accident
Motorcycle accidents are serious tragedies that often result in more harm to the motorcyclist than occupants of enclosed vehicles.
According to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) statistics, motorcycle riders have 16 times the risk of injury and 35 times the fatal crash risk compared to car passengers.
In 2019 alone, approximately 5,014 motorcyclists died in motorcycle crashes. Riding a motorcycle can be risky. Even if you don’t think it will happen, it’s important to know how to crash safely and avoid injuries. Here are some tips on preparing for a crash, what to do if you crash, and how to recover from a crash.
Always Wear Your Safety Gear
All motorcyclists are required by law to wear helmets every time they ride their motorcycles. Wearing a helmet can potentially save your life. Wearing helmets were estimated to be 37% effective in preventing motorcycle deaths. It’s because helmets prevent motorcycle riders from sustaining serious brain injuries in case a crash occurs.
But safety gear goes beyond just wearing a helmet. Motorcyclists are also encouraged to wear the following:
Protective Eyewear
When riding a motorcycle in the loose, small debris may inevitably go into your eyes and affect your vision. Having a clear vision is vital when navigating the road.
If you aren’t wearing a full-face helmet, then you must wear goggles or sunglasses to avoid debris from entering your eyes. This can give you the best visibility possible and can help prevent crashes from occurring.
Protective Shoes
Although high-quality motorcycle boots can be quite pricey, it is a good investment for your safety. Motorcycle boots are designed to protect your legs, ankles, and feet if a crash occurs. It can also prevent you from sustaining open wounds, which can lead to serious infections and death.
Regular shoes may slip off during a motorcycle accident, while motorcycle boots will stay on and keep you from falling off your motorcycle in some situations.
Proper Clothes
Some motorcycle riders may think that wearing t-shirts and flip-flops won’t affect them even if an accident occurs, but wearing loose clothing can increase your odds of sustaining injuries on other parts of your body even if you are wearing a helmet.
In serious crashes, road rash can scrape lawyers of skin down to the bone. Road rash can also lead to deadly infections due to open wounds. If you are wearing protective clothing such as leather pants and a jacket, it can protect your skin from road rash and cuts.
Choose The Right Motorcycle For Your Size
Whenever you buy a motorcycle, it’s best to consider the size of your body first before the style. What is the point of having a flashy motorcycle if you can’t ride it properly due to the size discrepancy with your body?
You can determine whether a motorcycle is a good fit for your body by sitting on the bike and holding it upright. Both of your feet should be able to rest flat on the ground, and you should also be able to reach the handlebars with no problem while sitting down. Motorcycles shouldn’t be too heavy for you either; you must be able to hold them straight when you lift the kickstand without experiencing too much strain.
Always Carry a First Aid Kit
All motorists are encouraged to have a first aid kit or a trauma kit inside their vehicles. You can put it in your bag or a compartment in your motorcycle if you have one.
The kit must contain standard first aid items like band-aids, disinfectants, surgical shears, and bandages to help stop the bleeding and prevent infection. Motorcyclists are also encouraged to have glow sticks prepared or flashlights to help alert oncoming traffic if they get involved in a crash. This can help prevent secondary collisions from occurring.
Do Not Speed
Speed limits exist for a reason. They are designed to protect you from getting involved in serious accidents. Unfortunately, almost 17 percent of all fatal accidents involve speeding.
Even if you are in a hurry, you must always obey the speed limit. Getting stuck in a traffic jam may tempt you to speed, but do not dart between lanes or drive in the shoulder to go faster. You have to remember that your motorcycle is a lot smaller than other vehicles. By speeding or riding between lanes, you run the risk of getting struck by a larger vehicle.
Going faster increases the velocity with which you crash, and thus the potential danger to you. A collision with a compact car while traveling at 10 miles per hour may injure or shake you. A collision with the same car at 50 mph, on the other hand, could be fatal or life-threatening.
Practice Defensive Driving
All drivers should practice defensive driving. You must be aware of potential moves made by other drivers that could injure you. Motorcycle drivers are even more required to do so than other drivers. Keep an eye out for what other drivers’ intentions appear to be. For example, in the case of a four-way stop, wait until it is clear that the other driver will not be pulling out fully or quickly.
Pay close attention to drivers adjacent to or near you who may want to merge into your lane, for example. They should notice you, treat you as if you were another vehicle, and check their blind spots. However, it is possible that they will not do any of these things. Dooring should not be an issue if you ride far enough in the center of the lane.
If You Are Involved in An Accident, Get Medical Attention Immediately
If you are in a motorcycle accident and sustain injuries, one of the best ways to ensure your survival is to seek immediate medical attention. If you are unconscious or unable to move, a bystander or eyewitness should call 911 to ensure that emergency response teams are dispatched to your location. Adrenaline is released into a person’s system as a result of an accident.
Even if you survive a motorcycle accident, it does not mean you are not injured fatally. Internal bleeding, organ damage, and traumatic brain injuries are all potential silent killers. You may not feel any pain or symptoms for hours, if not days, and if left untreated, you risk death. Allow a doctor to examine you and perform any necessary tests to ensure that you did not sustain a fatal injury and survive your motorcycle accident.
If you have been involved in a motorcycle accident, it’s best to consult an experienced motorcycle accident injury lawyer right away to get the best help possible.