How the Difference between Auto and Motorcycle Accidents Can Impact Your Claim

According to studies done by the National Highway and Transportation Safety Administration there has been a dramatic increase in motorcycle accidents nationwide.

If you're an avid motorcycle rider you may wonder, why? The reason for this is because motorcycle accidents are fatal so much more often. Also, motorcycle accident injuries tend to be more severe than accidents that involve cars. There are a lot of factors that contribute to this:

Vulnerability

There are some obvious design differences between motorcycles and cars. Specifically on a motorcycle your entire body is exposed. This makes the rider more susceptible to severe leg injuries, spinal cord injuries, and traumatic brain injuries. Built in protection such as seat belts and airbags are not available on motorcycles. There is also no build in head protection, which is why many states have enacted helmet laws.

Visibility

The fact that motorcycles are smaller than cars also creates some unique hazards. Blind spots and negligent drivers become even more dangerous because of the small size of motorcycles. 77% of motorcycles in two vehicle crashes are hit from the side or front. What this indicates is that other cars moved sideways to hit them.

Complexity

Human, vehicle, and environmental factors all play a part in motorcycle accidents. A motorcycle rider is far more likely to be ejected from their vehicle than would someone driving a car. It's this addition of environment that makes these accidents so much more complex. It's the fact that there's a much higher probability of striking a fixed object such as a guard rail or decorative road boulder when being ejected from your bike. Asphalt is not helping anything either. Even first time riders know that they want to avoid Road Rash.

It is because of these natural dangers that the environment poses that even solo bike accidents can be serious. These types of accidents are often causes by defective equipment, negligence, or road hazards.

How it all impacts your claim

Rehabilitation can be much longer with motorcycle accidents because the injuries in these accidents can be so much more sever. What this means is that on top of more lost wages and time from work than normal, you will also probably be paying for extra physical therapy. There are other problems as well, such as eyewitness testimony. Eyewitnesses often tend to overestimate the speed of a motorcycle, this can be potentially damaging to your claim.

Because these situations can be so complex your insurance adjuster may try to confuse you. Their job is to make sure they save the company money, so if they can get you to admit you are "fuzzy" on the details they'll have a much simpler time adjusting your damages—meaning they'll pay you less money.

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