Illinois Injury Law Blog

Today marks the end of May’s “Motorcycle Awareness Month”—a period during which local law enforcement agencies try to make drivers aware of the motorcycle riders who share the road with them, and to remind riders to take safety precautions as motorcycle riding increases during the summer months.

In a report broadcast yesterday, WGN TV discussed the types of motorcycle crashes that are considered “textbook” examples: such accidents occur most often at intersections, when drivers attempting to make a left-hand turn don’t notice a motorcycle coming into the intersection, and cut off the rider. Citing data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the report noted that motorcyclists are 37 times more likely to die in a crash than people in passenger cars are. Even police riders are sometimes forced off the road, despite riding with flashing lights and sirens that should make it more likely that drivers would notice them.

Many riders like to wear dark clothing; however, research has shown that the use of fluorescent, reflective, or brightly-colored clothing, as well as the use of white helmets, reduces the likelihood that a motorcycle rider will be injured in a crash caused by someone else’s negligence.

Motorcycle Awareness Month may be over, but Chicago motorcycle riders must stay alert throughout the year. Unfortunately, according to media reports, a 31-year-old Carpentersville motorcyclists lost his life just last Saturday when he rode off the road near Richmond.

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A recent motorcycle crash near Joliet, Illinois resulted in a fatality this past week. Details of the collision are still being compiled but the high mortality rate for motorcycle accidents is an important issue. It goes without saying that the risk of serious injury and death increase in motorcycle collisions merely because of the lack of protection many riders have when these accidents occur. Often times the accidents are not the due to the fault of the motorcycle rider but the other drivers on the roadway who either don't see them or operate their vehicles in a negligent matter resulting in a collision.

A recent National Traffic and Highway Safety Administration report shows that motorcycle rider fatalities began increasing nationally each year in 1997, since then rider fatalities have increased by 89%. The high number of fatalities have been blamed on a number of causes, including an increased number of riders under the age of 20, more motorcycles on the roadway, bigger and faster motorcycles in production, etc. The numbers are staggering when considering that these are just the fatalities, the accidents involving serious and permanent bodily injury are even more likely.

A rider can be the most cautious person on the road and that alone won't prevent accidents from happening, especially when riding at night, like the individual in Joliet this weekend. The resulting injuries can be debilitating and permanent if the rider is fortunate enough to escape with his or her life. I have represented clients injured in a number of different circumstances following a motorcycle collision on the roadway and each time my client did everything within their power to avoid being struck by another vehicle, unfortunately, being a well trained and experienced rider cannot protect you in every instance.

Ride Carefully!