There are over 6.2 million motorcycles registered in the United States. The popularity of this mode of transportation is attributed to the low initial cost of a motorcycle, its use as a pleasure vehicle, and, for some models, the good fuel efficiency.

Motorcycle Safety

Motorcycle fatalities represent approximately 11 percent of all highway fatalities each year, yet motorcycles represent approximately 3 percent of all registered vehicles in the United States. One of the main reasons motorcyclists are killed in crashes is because the motorcycle itself provides virtually no protection in a crash. For example, approximately 80 percent of reported motorcycle crashes result in injury or death; a comparable figure for automobiles is about 20 percent.

An automobile has more weight and bulk than a motorcycle. It has door beams and a roof to provide some measure of protection from impact or rollover. It has cushioning and airbags to soften impact and seat belts to hold passengers in their seats. It has windshield washers and wipers to assist visibility in the rain and snow. An automobile has more stability because it’s on four wheels, and because of its size, it is easier to see.

A motorcycle suffers in comparison when considering vehicle characteristics that directly contribute to occupant safety. What a motorcycle sacrifices in weight, bulk, and other crashworthiness characteristics is somewhat offset by its agility, maneuverability, ability to stop quickly, and ability to swerve quickly when necessary.

A motorcyclist should attend a motorcycle rider-training course to learn how to safely and skillfully operate a motorcycle. A motorcyclist has to be more careful and aware at intersections, where most motorcycle-vehicle collisions occur. Motorcyclists must remain visible to other motorists at all times.

Don’t ride in a car’s “No Zone” (blind spot). Anticipate what may happen more than other vehicle drivers may. For example, anticipate that drivers backing their cars out of driveways may not see you; and place greater emphasis on defensive driving.

Motorcyclists also must be more cautious when riding in inclement weather, on slippery surfaces, or when encountering obstacles on the roadway. They must place greater reliance on their helmets, eye protection, and clothing to increase riding

Approximately half of all fatal single-vehicle motorcycle crashes involve alcohol. A motorcycle requires more skill and coordination to operate than a car. Riding a motorcycle while under the influence of any amount of alcohol significantly decreases an operator’s ability to operate the motorcycle safely

On average, 25 percent of motorcycle operators killed in traffic crashes are not licensed or are improperly licensed to operate a motorcycle. By not obtaining a motorcycle operator license, riders are bypassing the only method they and State licensing agencies have to ensure they have the knowledge and skill needed to safely and skillfully operate a motorcycle.

Have you or a loved one been injured in a Nashville motorcycle accident or auto accident as a result of distracted driving or other negligent driving?  If so, you should call the experienced Nashville personal injury lawyers at Phillip Miller & Associates, a Nashville motorcycle accident lawyer from our law firm will fight to help you win. We will treat you with the utmost compassion and respect. Call us today and speak with an experienced Nashville personal injury lawyer to discuss the details of your case. Call (615) 356-2000.

Motorcycle Safety

Motorcycles are vehicles with the same rights and privileges as any motor vehicle on the roadway. Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month is a national initiative aimed at getting motorists and motorcyclists to “share the road” with each other.

Motorcycles are vehicles with the same rights and privileges as any motor vehicle on the roadway. All motorists are reminded to safely “share the road” with motorcycles and to be extra alert to help keep motorcyclists safe. Motorcyclists are reminded to make themselves visible to other motorists.

In the past five years, motorcycle helmet use has been increasing slowly but steadily – increased from 48 percent in 2005 to 67 percent in 2009. Figure 2 compares the overall picture of motorcycle helmet use and nonuse in 2008 and 2009.

The 2009 survey also found the following:

Helmet use in States that require all motorcyclists to wear helmets significantly increased from 78 percent in 2008 to 86 percent in 2009. The helmet use in these States continued to be higher than in those States without universal helmet use law.

Helmet use in the Northeast increased by 16 percentage points to 61 percent in 2009, which is a statistically significant increase. In 2009, helmet use in rural areas continued to increase to 75 percent while urban areas saw a 15-percentage-point drop to 57 percent.

Have you or a loved one been injured in a Nashville motorcycle accident or auto accident as a result of distracted driving or other negligent driving?  If so, you should call the experienced Nashville personal injury lawyers at Phillip Miller & Associates, a Nashville motorcycle accident lawyer from our law firm will fight to help you win. We will treat you with the utmost compassion and respect. Call us today and speak with an experienced Nashville personal injury lawyer to discuss the details of your case. Call (615) 356-2000.

Intersections and Motorcycles

As an experienced Nashville automobile/motorcycle accident lawyer, I have never seen a good outcome for the motorcyclist in a collision with a car or truck. A 57-year-old Knoxville motorcyclist was involved in an intersection crash with a Nissan Maxima driven by an 80-year-old Knoxville woman.

It appears, from local media reports, that the two met at an intersection and the Maxima turned left in front of the motorcycle. The local media source said that the motorcyclist is hospitalized with life threatening injuries. The motorcyclist did not have a motorcycle driver license as required by law. Our prayers here at Phillip Miller & Associates, go out to this man for a quick and complete recovery.

More crashes happen at intersections than at any other place. Intersections constitute a very small part of rural and urban street/highway systems, yet they are implicated in 31.9 percent of all motor vehicle crashes and 15.5 percent of all fatal crashes (2004 NHTSA data). Be very careful when approaching any intersection or driveway. Never assume another driver will yield the right-of-way to you.

If you or a loved one is injured or killed in a Tennessee intersection auto accident caused by a negligent driver contact the experienced Nashville motorcycle accident attorneys at Phillip Miller & Associates and take advantage of a free consultation.

Tennessee Motorcycle Fatality

A Tennessee motorcyclist was killed as he drove through an intersection and was struck by a teen driver in a pickup truck. According to police and local media reports the motorcyclist had the green light and the unnamed teen ran the light. What was this kid doing? Did he run the light on purpose, I doubt it. Was he paying attention to his driving, I doubt it.

Among experienced Tennessee automobile accident attorneys, the Governor’s Highway Safety Association (GHSA), the National Highway Safety Administration (NHTSA), and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), it is generally agreed that teen drivers have the highest crash risk of any age group. Per mile, the crash rate for 16 year-old drivers is 10 times the rate for drivers between 30 and 59. The basic reasons behind this statistic are obvious, teen drivers have no experience with the myriad issues faced by drivers with experience, furthermore, they are immature and often takes risks, most often speeding, and are easily distracted which contribute to the increased death rate.

As an experienced Nashville automobile accident lawyer I have seen far too many teen deaths and I strongly encourage parents to be realistic about the skills and propensities of their children. It’s a time of excitement and dread for every parent, the time when their precious little Bobby or Betty reaches the age when they can drive. Excitement because their child is growing up and the parents can relinquish to job of being the chauffeur for their busy teens and dread because the know in their heart of hearts the dangers that teen drivers face as they take to the highways and byways.

In addition to laws, safety experts agree that parents play a key role in helping teens become good drivers. Parents should not rely solely on drivers education classes to teach good driving habits and should restrict night driving, restrict the numbers of passengers riding with their teen, supervise practice driving, always require use of seat belts and choose vehicles for safety, not image. Parents can also set a good example by practicing safe driving techniques themselves.

If you or a loved one is injured or killed in a Tennessee automobile accident caused by a teen driver contact the experienced Nashville automobile accident attorneys at Phillip Miller & Associates and find out about your rights and remedies.

As an experienced Nashville accident and injury lawyer I have never seen a collision between a motorcyclist without a helmet and a tree come out in favor of the motrrcyclist.. My sympathies go out to the family of Darry D. Smith, 22, of Oneida, who, according to an article on the web site of WBIR TV in Knoxville, was with friends when he attempted to pull a wheelie on his 2009 Yamaha and lost control, ran into a ditch and was thrown from the bike against a tree.

While travel by motor vehicle has become steadily safer in the United States, motorcycles remain the most dangerous type of motor vehicle to drive. Motorcyclists are involved in fatal crashes at a rate of 35.0 per 100 million miles of travel compared with a rate of 1.7 per 100 million miles of travel in cars. In 2007, 5,154 motorcyclists were killed—an increase of 7 percent over the 4,837 motorcyclists killed in 2006. There were 103,000 motorcyclists injured during 2007. Motorcycles made up nearly 3 percent of all registered vehicles in the United States in 2006 and accounted for only 0.4 percent of all vehicle miles traveled. Per vehicle mile traveled in 2006, motorcyclists were about 35 times more likely than passenger car occupants to die in a motor vehicle traffic crash and 8 times more likely to be injured.

In Tennessee over 90% of motorcycle drivers in crashes from 2004 to 2008 were between the ages of 15 and 59. The number of motorcycle drivers in crashes has increased in every age group over 14 years old since 2004. As a percentage of all motorcycle drivers in crashes, drivers from ages 15 to 24 and 45 to 69 increased, while drivers between the ages of 25 and 44 decreased.

Motorcycles are not toys and should not be treated as if they were. If any good can come from a tragedy such as this it would be that others who knew and loved Mr. Smith will themselves practice motorcycle safety and use this incident to pass on the word to others.

If you or a loved one is injured or killed in a Tennessee motorcycle accident you owe it to yourself to contact the experienced Nashville accident attorney’s at Phillip Miller & Associates for a free consultation to find out about your rights and remedies.

The Federal Highway Administration recently announced it will conduct “the first major in-depth analysis of motorcycle safety in nearly three decades.” The study will be conducted by researchers at Oklahoma State University’s Oklahoma Transportation Center, which is one of the Department of Transportation’s 10 National University Transportation Centers. A provision in the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, EfficientTransportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users required the study, but its launch was delayed due to funding issues. Researchers plan to evaluate data from motorcycle crashes to help identify common factors, which FHWA officials said will be useful to find countermeasures. The last motorcycle causation study was completed in 1981 by NHTSA. In September, NHTSA concluded a pilot study on motorcycle crash causes and outcomes. DOT spokesperson Rae Tyson said completion of the pilot study was necessary to help OSU researchers establish research criteria for the upcoming study.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) per vehicle mile traveled in 2006, motorcyclists were about 35 times more likely than passenger car occupants to die in a motor vehicle traffic crash and 8 times more likely to be injured. Speeding, traveling too fast for conditions or in excess of the posted speed limit, is a factor in almost one-third of all fatal crashes and costs America approximately $27.7 billion dollars in economic losses each year. Speeding is a safety concern on all roads, regardless of their speed limits. Much of the public concern about speeding has been focused on high-speed Interstates. The Interstate System, however, actually has the best safety record of all roads and the lowest fatality rate of all road classes.

Motorcycle Safety Study

Collector roads usually have legal speed limits of 55 mi/h or less. Speed limits on local roads are often 35 mi/h or lower.

If you or a family member is injured in a Tennessee motorcycle accident you owe it to your self to contact the experienced Tennessee motorcycle accident attorney’s at Phillip Miller & Associates and take advantage of a free consultation to learn about your rights and remedies.