Motorcycle accidents occur due to a wide variety of reasons. Sometimes it is the cyclist themselves who cause the mishap, but more often than not another vehicle is involved and contributed to the incident due to unawareness of some type. Not surprisingly, there are a few common causes of motorcycle accidents in both urban and rural areas in New Jersey.
Failure to yield
Failure to yield the right-of-way is first on the list of causes for motorcycle operators when other vehicles are involved in an accident. Bikes can be easy to miss in the flow of traffic, and many times other drivers do not allow them to maintain their legal highway share, often resulting in serious personal injury claims when accidents happen.
Obstacles on the highway
One of the biggest problems that bikers face when riding is debris on the road that a standard vehicle can often run over and keep on driving. Motorcyclists are always monitoring road conditions because it is easy to lose control when anything on the road can be struck, including even grass clippings from someone mowing their yard too close to the road. Avoiding obstacles on the road also means avoiding a personal injury from a crash for motorcycle operators.
Riding decisions
Motorcycles do indeed provide freedom of movement that four-wheel vehicles do not enjoy, including driving actions such as lane-splitting or other unusual movements. Lane-splitting is actually a road violation, and evidence of this action can seriously increase the comparative negligence percentage of a motorcycle rider when involved in an accident.
These are just a few factors that can contribute to motorcycle accidents in New Jersey. It is important for all bikers in the state to pay close attention to riding safety because they are assuredly the most vulnerable vehicles on the highway.