Ride a Motorcycle? Know How to Prevent an Accident from Happening
As a motorcyclist, you may make safety a top priority, since you want to avoid any legal or health ramifications that can happen due to an accident. Follow these tips to help decrease the chances of either happening to you.
Know Your Brake System
If you are not aware of what kind of brake system your motorcycle has, take your bike to a mechanic to find out. You want to make sure that you have an anti-lock braking system, also called ABS, installed. It's possible for you to panic and hit your brakes quickly while riding, and this could cause you to flip your motorcycle or skid out on the road as you lose control. ABS work by adjusting pressure on the brakes to maintain traction on the road and prevent you from falling.
Having an anti-lock braking system can make your motorcycle much safer and can actually reduce your chances of getting into a fatal accident by approximately 37%. With such a drastic increase in safety, an anti-lock braking system is definitely something to look into having.
Ride Defensively
Motorcycle riders will be more vulnerable than any other vehicle on the road because they do not have protection. In accidents between motorcycles and cars, the driver of the car is responsible for the auto accident in 60% of situations. While you have a greater chance of winning a personal injury lawsuit because of this, you still don't want to deal with an accident if one can be avoided.
Stay Visible
Anything that you are able to do to stay visible to other drivers will help increase your safety. You can wear brightly colored clothing or rev the motorcycle's engine as you approach a car's blind spot. You should avoid riding next to a car when possible. Speed up so that you are slightly in front of other drivers or slow down so that you are riding behind nearby cars.
Take Safe Routes
Always try to use the center lane when riding to increase your safety. Left lanes may not have shoulders, but riding in the center lane provides the option of avoiding an accident by going around it in either direction.
If you do get into an accident, you'll need all the help that you can get to receive the compensation you deserve. Work with an auto law firm in your area, such as J D'Agostino & Associates, P.C.
