Motorcyclists Beware!
While fatalities involving motorists in cars and trucks, bicyclists, pedestrians, and even alcohol-related accidents dropped dramatically in 2007, highway deaths of motorcyclists soared for the tenth straight year, accounting for nearly one out of eight highway deaths.
Experts expect this trend to continue as more and more people are riding motorcycles today for longer distances thanks in part to high gas prices and the near fifty miles to the gallon fuel efficiency motorcycles get.
A direct correlation to motorcycle fatalities is safety. While cars and trucks offer airbags, seatbelts, and improved fenders, motorcyclists are left exposed while riding, and therefore are at a much greater risk to be seriously injured when in an accident. And with the 1977 state repeal of the helmet law, motorcyclists over the age of 14 may ride a motorcycle without a helmet in the state of Maine, but do so at their own risk.
The median age of motorcyclists is also a contributing factor to the high number of fatalities, as many middle-age men who once rode motorcycles are returning to their youthful passion. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, there are seventy-five percent more registered motorcycles today than there were ten years ago. And while riding a motorcycle may be like riding a bike, over time one’s skills and reaction time decrease, often resulting in a learning curve that must be overcome for a rider to once again feel comfortable on a bike.
To a motorcyclist, there’s nothing more enticing then the open road. But at The Law Offices of Joe Bornstein, we see firsthand the dangers motorcyclists face every day on those very roads.
So ride safe! Because if you do, the only statistic you’ll have to worry about is how much fun you had!
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