What are the Associated Dangers of Motorcycle Accidents in Utah in 2023?

Before we dive into motorcycle accidents, let’s start with some shocking statistics regarding these 2-wheeled machines.

According to Ride To Live Utah, even though in Utah less than 3% of vehicles are registered as motorcycles, deaths as a result of motorcycle accidents account for 18% of total deaths. Additionally, if you drive a motorcycle, you are thirteen times more likely to die if you are involved in an accident. In 2021, in our state over 1,000 drivers were seriously injured in motorcycle accidents and 41 people passed away from their injuries.

 

Motorcycle Accidents Happening in our Metroplex Over the Past 2 Days

Sadly, the past 2 days have shown how dangerous motorcycle accidents can be according to KSLtv.com.

In Iron County Utah, a motorcyclist was sent to the hospital after hitting a cow that was crossing the road. The crash occurred as a result of the motorcycle driver failing to stop and yield to a traffic stop as a result of farmers crossing the road with their cattle. Although the driver was not seriously injured, he was sent to the hospital as a result of the crash, and the cow’s condition is still under further evaluation. For more information on this article, please visit Motorcyclist.vs.cow.

Additionally and on a more serious note, just 2 days ago a motorcycle accident lead to a fatality for the driver in West Valley Utah. The crash occurred when a 36 year-old-driver collided with a sedan on 4400 W. The drivers of the sedan were not injured, however, the motorcyclist suffered severe injuries leading to his death. The cause of the accident is still under investigation, but it is believed that excessive speeds were a major factor. For more info on this case, please visit ksltv.motorcycle.death.

 

How Can We Avoid Future Motorcycle Accidents and Injuries?

The Utah Highway Safety Office and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration have consistently been utilizing different strategies to avoid and decrease the frequency of motorcycle accidents. Let’s look deeper into what these are.

A few of the most common countermeasures in the fight against motorcycle accidents include but are not limited to:

1. Always wearing a DOT compliant helmet
2. Not drinking and driving your motorcycle while impaired, this includes drug use
3. Making sure all drivers have a proper motorcycle license
4. Promoting lifelong learning including riding training and safety courses

For more information on motorcycle courses, safety information for new and experience drivers, please visit this site https://msf-usa.org.

 

National Motorcycle Statistics

According to the United States Department of Transportation, in 2021, almost 6,000 motorcyclist were killed as a result of a fatal motorcycle accident, which accounts for 14% of all fatal crashes for the year. It. is clear, this is a national not simply a state problem.

In order to be a part of the movement to improve motorcycle safety and decrease the occurrences of motorcycle accidents, we need to understand the differences between 4-wheeled vehicles and these 2-wheeled machines.

 

So Why are Motorcycles so Much More Dangerous than Cars?

According to Science of Motorcycles, below we will dig into some of the key differences that lead to motorcycle accidents causing more fatalities.

1. Momentum

   1. Diving into the basics of physics, a main difference between a car and motorcycle is Momentum. Momentum always remains constant. Momentum is expressed as mass x velocity. Consequently, all vehicles weigh more than any motorcycle, hence when an accident occurs, the motorcyclist will feel most of the impact.

2. Less Protection

   1. Most vehicles nowadays have multiple extensive safety features installed. In fact , this is a huge selling point for many car manufacturers. On the other hand, motorcycles simple do not, starting with no seatbelt. A commonality of a motorcycle accident is the driver flying off the motorcycle, which itself is a recipe for disaster.

3. Missing Visual Cues

   1. To drive a motorcycle, you need to be paying attention to ALL your surroundings; ie: forwards, backwards and your peripherals. However, most drivers tend to look forwards alone. As a result, motorcyclist miss key visual cues that would allow them to anticipate an accident and practice evasive maneuvers to avoid them.

4. No Stringent Rules

   1. What this means is, driving a motorcycle in general is dangerous. You are taking a risk everyday you get on a bike. However, they are not only more affordable than cars, there are also very little requirements to own and drive a motorcycle. An unskilled driver just needs a short course to gain a motorcycle license, which at times is a scary thought, since they are so much more dangerous than driving a vehicle.

5. Less Stability During a Skid

   1. Although all vehicles can skid, especially in our Utah winters, single-track vehicles like motorcycles are the most susceptible to skidding, especially on sharp turns and at high speeds.

6. Power Ratio

   1. We’ve all seen those drivers flying with their Ducatis down the highway, haven’t we? Well, how are they able to go so fast with such ease? These expensive bikes have high displacement engines and are also very lightweight. This combination of power and weight leads to max acceleration. Higher speeds lead to less reaction times which lead to higher incidences of motorcycle accidents.

 

Contact Us at Symco Injury Law Firm

If you are involved in any motorcycle accident case that causes bodily harm to yourself or others, please don’t hesitate to call us or text us at 801-738-9999 or visit us via our website Symco Injury Law Contact Info. We also have a 24/7 chat box on our site as well for your convenience. And if you simply have any questions on anything discussed today, we are always happy to answer them.

Drive safe out there!