A Martin Tennessee man who worked as an area sports writer died Sunday afternoon in a motorcycle crash near the Mount Pelia community in Weakley County. The 41-year-old man died in a one-vehicle crash at about 3:30 PM after losing control of his 2005 Harley-Davidson 20C motorcycle on state highway 216.

Local media reports said he lost control and left the roadway while trying to negotiate a curve. The Police Report said he was wearing his helmet as required by Tennessee law. Unfortunately this type of event is increasing in frequency and I’d like to bring you some important facts to consider.

According to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) deaths from motorcycle crashes have more than doubled in the past decade from 2,116 in 1997 to 5,154 in 2007 up 6.6% from 4,837 in 2006. Add to that another 103,000 people who were injured in motorcycle crashes in 2007, up 17% from 88,000 in 2006.

The yearly number of motorcycle deaths is more than double the annual total number of victims killed in all aviation, rail, marine and pipeline accidents combined, with head injuries as the leading cause of death in motorcycle crashes. In addition to the tragic loss of life, the economic cost to society is enormous.

If you are going to drive a motorcycle prepare yourself before taking to the highway. Take a course from a reputable group, wear leathers and most of all wear a high quality safety helmet.

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

As an experienced Tennessee motorcycle accident attorney I have seen all sorts of weird motorcycle crashes but the one I read about in the local Memphis media takes the cake. If appears that a Louisiana couple were driving along I-55 in Southaven when for some unknown reason the passenger/wife fell off of the motorcycle onto the roadway.

The husband/driver immediately slowed down and was struck by a following car, and was himself knocked to the road. Many questions surround this incident. What caused the woman passenger to fall off of the bike? Was the car following too closely? Was the car driver distracted in some way or another and failed to see what was going on in front of him. Both the man and the woman were transported in critical condition but their condition was upgraded to stable on Friday.

According to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) deaths from motorcycle crashes have more than doubled in the past decade from 2,116 in 1997 to 5,154 in 2007 up 6.6% from 4,837 in 2006. Add to that another 103,000 people who were injured in motorcycle crashes in 2007, up 17% from 88,000 in 2006.

The yearly number of motorcycle deaths is more than double the annual total number of people killed in all aviation, rail, marine and pipeline accidents combined, with head injuries as the leading cause of death in motorcycle crashes. In addition to the tragic loss of life, the economic cost to society is enormous.

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

Dr. Charles Bruton from Oak Ridge passed away at UT Medical Center after a Tennessee motorcycle accident on Highway 95 just south of Bethel Valley Road just before 5:00 p.m. when the motorcycle he was driving left the roadway and ran off the road into the woods. His passenger was injured and treated then released from the hospital.

There are many questions as to the cause of the accident. Why does a motorcyclist simply drive off of the road? Was he distracted? Was he inexperienced? Was another vehicle at fault? These are questions for the investigators. My prayers go out to the friends and family of Dr. Bruton, and for a quick and complete recovery for his passenger.

Under Tennessee DMV guidelines, anyone who drives a motorcycle must have a Class M motorcycle license or motorcycle instruction permit. Applicants must be 16 years of age, pass the motorcycle knowledge test, a sign test and a vision screening. The final step is to pass the motorcycle skills test where you will demonstrate your competency in motorcycle operation.

Tennessee will waive your skills and knowledge test and issue you a license if you complete an approved basic motorcycle rider safety course. These courses last anywhere from two to six weeks and include classroom instruction as well as driver training in a controlled, off-street environment. When you successfully complete this course, you will be eligible for your motorcycle driver’s license.

If you or anyone you know has been injured or killed in a Tennessee motorcycle accident, please contact Nashville personal injury attorney Phillip Miller and the Tennessee personal injury attorneys at Phillip Miller and Associates at (615) 356-2000.

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.

The Kingsport Times-News www.timesnews.net/ reported that a Kingsport, Tennessee motorcyclist had been upgraded from critical to fair condition. Matthew Johnson is a lucky man. Last Thursday Johnson was driving his 2007 Suzuki crotch rocket at a high rate of speed on a busy two-lane road when he crossed the centerline entering the eastbound lane, into an oncoming pickup truck.

Luckily for Johnson the pickup driver took evasive action and the motorcycle avoided a head-on collision but sideswiped the driver’s door. The motorcycle broke into two parts and Johnson was hurled through the air several hundred feet down the road. His bad luck isn’t over though, when he recovers he faces a number of traffic charges.

Motorcycle Accidents On The Rise

Nationwide 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.

As an experienced motorcycle accident attorney these statistics are troubling. With more and more people choosing motorcycles as their method of transportation these numbers will continue to rise. The key to reducing these numbers is education. Many states, including Tennessee, have implemented motorcycle safety programs. If you or a loved one is injured in an motorcycle collision contacted our experienced accident injury lawyers to find out what your options are. Our Accident attorneys are experienced and their advice can help you plot your future course.