Motorcycle riders need to be extra careful when riding through an intersection or they may find themselves needing an accident attorney

With the beautiful weather, amazing scenery and great roads to ride, there is no surprise that motorcycles are so popular in Florida. Unfortunately, so are motorcycle accidents. We have to go all the way back to 2002 to find a year that had less than 250 motorcycle deaths in Florida. Even when wearing a helmet, a person riding a motorcycle is in far more danger of injury or death than a driver of a car, van or truck. In fact, they are 32 times more likely to die in an accident than a person in a passenger vehicle. Even though they can happen anywhere, it seems the most common place for a motorcycle accident is at an intersection.

Intersection accidents happen for a number of reasons, but the most common is when a vehicle attempts to catch the yellow light and runs the red instead. We see this every day. What a driver is most concerned about (besides making the light) is not getting a ticket. Those few seconds that they accelerate and their full attention is on that light, they not only put themselves in danger, but also run the risk of a high speed collision with another vehicle.

When a car hits a motorcycle at an intersection

A high speed collision at an intersection can cause serious injury or death to any motorist, but none more than someone riding a motorcycle. Without the added safety of seatbelts, airbags or even the protective surrounding of a passenger vehicle; a motorcycle accident with a vehicle running a red light is likely to be deadly. In fact, about 80% or motorcycle accidents that happen in intersections result in serious injury or death, compared to a much safer 20% for passenger vehicles.

Some of the most common scenarios for motorcycle intersection accidents are as followed:

• The driver of the other vehicle tries to catch the yellow light and runs the red instead.
• The driver of the other vehicle does not yield the right of way when making a left turn
• The driver of the other vehicle crashes head on with the motorcyclist
• The driver rear ends the motorcyclist when they fail to notice the motorcycle stopped at the intersection.
• The driver fails to yield at the intersection.

Motorcyclists need to be aware of distracted drivers

Unlike motorcyclists who need both hands to ride, drivers of passenger cars can find themselves distracted by talking on the phone, sending text messages, checking emails, eating, changing the playlist on their system and many other things. As incredibly dangerous as it is, people who drive distracted rely heavily on their peripheral vision to watch out for cars. As much as this peripheral vision may seem to work when watching out for cars, those few seconds it takes to read a text is more than enough time to collide with a motorcycle and possibly change a person’s life for the worse.

If you or a loved one has been involved in a motorcycle accident at an intersection, then you need to contact a law firm that handles these types of cases. The Fort Lauderdale accident attorneys at Madalon Law understand what it takes to seek the maximum financial compensation you and your family deserve. Please contact us for your free consultation.