Serious motorcycle accidents often leave victims with painful injuries, permanent impairments, steep medical bills among other potentially life changing setbacks. If you ride a motorcycle learning how to avoid injury in a motorcycle accident can help you keep your health intact and may even save your life. We created this blog to help you learn or just remind you of some of the measures you can take to stay safe on the open road .

Wearing the Proper Safety Gear is critical. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) riders who don’t wear helmets are twice as likely to sustain traumatic brain injuries in an accident. Thankfully helmets are required for both rider and passenger, but there are still those who want to wear the minimum required helmet. Anyone who wants to give their head the best protection possible should invest in a full-face helmet. In addition to protecting your skull and brain, full-face helmets also provide coverage for your face.

While a helmet is one of the most important pieces of protective gear you can wear, there are several other clothing items you should never ride without. Make sure you’ve got the following pieces of gear next time you hit the road:

• A sturdy jacket
• A pair of high-quality long pants
• Footwear that covers the ankle and has non-slip soles
• Full-fingered gloves, preferably abrasion resistant
• Eye protection if your helmet doesn’t have a face shield

Maintaining your motorcycle can go a long way to helping you avoid accidents and injuries caused by broken parts. While it’s important to maintain your entire bike it’s wise to give special attention to the tires. Improper tire pressure could lead to a blowout and this could lead to severe injuries. It’s critically important for you to check tire pressure regularly and inspect your tires for signs of cracking and damage. Apart from keeping your ties in good working order, you’ll also want to perform regular maintenance on the following motorcycle parts:

• Brakes
• Engine
• Headlamps
• Turn signals
• Controls including pedals, throttle, cables, handlebar

Following traffic laws and obeying safety signs goes a long way in helping you to avoid an accident. It’s important to never ride your motorcycle when intoxicated or under the influence of drugs. According to data collected by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration NHTSA) over 40% of fatal single-vehicle motorcycle accidents in 2020 involved alcohol-impaired riders. Avoid driving under the influence to protect yourself and others from a tragic crash.

Lane-Splitting is when a rider goes between traffic and parked cars at a red light or on a roadway to get ahead of other motorists. While lane splitting may save a little time, it’s an incredibly dangerous practice. You never know when someone in a parked car will open their door and cause you to crash into it or what a driver on a roadway will do. A parked car could also pull out, causing you to rear-end them. Driving between traffic and parked cars can also put pedestrians at risk. If a pedestrian steps out while you’re lane splitting you could collide with them. Instead of trying to take a shortcut, it’s best to play it safe and stay in your lane.

Inclement weather can cause motorcycle riders to lose control of their vehicles. The easiest way to avoid weather related collisions is to wait for the storm to pass. Waiting is not always possible, especially for those who use their bikes to get to work and other important appointments. For anyone whose bike is their primary form of transportation, you’ll probably have to ride in the rain at least a few times a year. Here are a few safety measures you can take to avoid motorcycle accidents and injuries when riding in the rain:

• Invest in waterproof gear and an anti-fog visor
• Avoid standing water
• Seek out the driest part of your lane
• Keep your bike as upright as possible to prevent it from sliding out from under you
• Don’t stop suddenly

We represent people who are injured because of the careless and reckless acts of others.  At the end of the day your case can only be settled one time and you need to know all of the facts beforehand. The reason that insurance companies have paid our clients in excess of $130,000,000.00 is that we get the facts and are not intimidated at the prospect of going to trial when insurance companies fail to offer full compensation. A Sacramento motorcycle accident lawyer can help with serious injuries that require serious representation. We are the Law Offices of Guenard & Bozarth, LLP. Our attorneys have more than 60 years of experience specializing in only representing injured people. Call GB Legal 24/7/365 at 888-809-1075 or contact Guenard & Bozarth online. We would be honored to represent you!