Five Most Common Causes of Motorcycle Accidents

While some people ride motorcycles for recreation others rely on them for fuel-efficient transportation. Unfortunately motorcycles also offer less protection for you or your passenger in case of an accident. In fact motorcycle accidents are 35 times more likely to result in death than car accidents are according to data from the federal government for 2006. This study compared the number of deaths for each type of vehicle per mile traveled. Motorcycle accidents are inherently dangerous because riders lack the security that comes from being belted inside the protective shell of a metal vehicle. This puts riders at increased risk of dying or suffering major injuries when their bodies hits the ground. Therefore it is a good to drive defensively to try to avoid crashes. This is why most states require passing a test and receiving a special endorsement before being allowed to operate a motorcycle. Here is a list of five of the most common causes of motorcycle accidents to help you do that.

Being Male or Inexperienced

About 96 percent of all motorcycle accidents involved a male driver. In addition more than 50 percent of all motorcycle drivers who had an accident were riding for fewer than five months at the time.

Head-on Collisions

About 56 percent of the accidents a motorcyclist had were with a car or other vehicle. Head-on crashes accounted for about 78 percent of those accidents. "

Speeding and Alcohol

Driving too fast or drinking too much was a factor in approximately half of all motorcycle accidents. That was the case whether or not another vehicle was involved.

Left Turn Crashes

Accidents involving vehicles making left hand turns were responsible for another 42 percent of collisions with other vehicles. While most of those involved cars turning left at intersections in front of motorcycles that were going straight through the intersection some happened when a motorcycle was overtaking or passing another vehicle.

Stationary Objects

Motorcycles that ran into trees posts or other fixed objects were also a problem. In fact those types of crashes accounted for about a quarter of all deaths in motorcycle accidents.