Pursuing a Motorcycle Accident Claim

You can ride safer by following these quick tips on motorcycle safety:

1. Always assume that you and your motorcycle are totally invisible to other drivers.
2. Leave plenty of space in front and back and to the sides from all other vehicles.
3. Beware of motorists turning left in front of you at intersections.
4. Never drink or take drugs and try to ride a motorcycle.
5. Avoid riding at night, especially late Saturday night and early Sunday when drunken drivers may be on the road.
6. Beware of taking curves that you can't see around. A parked truck or a patch of sand may be awaiting you.
7. Do not try to 'get even' with another rider or motorist by giving in to road rage.
8. If someone is tailgating you, either speed up to open more space or pull over and let them pass.
9. Take a motorcycle safety course to learn what to look for to avoid accidents.
10. Wear protective clothing and a helmet.

There is no New York No-Fault insurance available to motorcycle riders. This means that in the event of injury in a motorcycle accident, private health insurance must pay the bills. If the rider wins a lawsuit, these bills must usually be paid back to the health insurance carrier. If there is no health insurance available, the issue of medical bills and paying for medical care becomes complicated, indeed. Consult an experienced accident and personal injury attorney.

As a lawyer and rider who has held a motorcycle license for many years, I have some definite thoughts on this topic. But I'd like you to "cram down" some statistics about motorcycle safety, which relate to accidents and injuries, and which I find fascinating:

1. Approximately 3/4 of motorcycle accidents involve collision with another vehicle; most often a passenger automobile.
2. Approximately 1/4 of motorcycle accidents are single vehicle accidents involving the motorcycle colliding with the roadway or some fixed object in the environment.
3. Vehicle failure accounts for less than 3% of motorcycle accidents, and most of those are single vehicle accidents where control is lost due to a puncture flat.
4. In single vehicle accidents, motorcycle rider error is present as the cause about 2/3 of the time, with the typical error being a slideout and fall due to overbraking, or running wide on a curve due to excess speed or under-cornering.
5. Roadway defects (pavement ridges, potholes, etc.) are the accident cause in 2% of accidents; animal involvement causes 1% of accidents.
6. In multiple vehicle accidents, the driver of the other vehicle violates the motorcycle right-of-way and causes the accident 2/3 of the time.
7. Drivers inability to recognize motorcycles in traffice is the main source of motorcycle collisions. The driver of the other vehicle involved in collision with the motorcycle does not see the motorcycle before the collision, or does not see the motorcycle until too late to avoid the collision.
8. Deliberate hostile action by a motorist against a motorcycle rider is a rare accident cause.
9. The most frequent accident type is the motorcycle proceeding straight and the automobile making a left turn in front of the oncoming motorcycle.
10. Intersections are the most likely place for the motorcycle accident, with the other vehicle violating the motorcycle right-of-way, and often violating traffic controls.
11. Weather is not a factor in 98% of motorcycle accidents.
12. Most motorcycle accidents involve a short trip associated with shopping, errands, friends, entertainment or recreation, and the accident is likely to happen close to the place the trip began.
13. The view of the motorcycle or other vehicle involved in an accident is limited by glare or obstructed by other vehicles in almost 2 of multiple vehicle accidents.
14. Visibility of the motorcycle is a critical factor in multiple vehicle accidents, and accidents are significantly reduced by the use of motorcycle headlamps (on in daylight) and the wearing of high visibility yellow, orange or bright red jackets.
15. Fuel system leaks and spills are present after 62% of motorcycle crashes. This means that there is usually a fire hazard.
16. Significantly overrepresented in accidents are motorcycle riders between the ages of 16 and 24; motorcycle riders between the ages of 30 and 50 are significantly underrepresented. Although the majority of accident-involved motorcycle riders are male (96%), female motorcycles riders are significantly overrepresented in accidents.
17. Motorcycle riders involved in accidents are essentially without training; 92% are self-taught or learned from family or friends. Motorcycle rider training experience reduces accident involvement and reduces injury in the event of accidents.
18. Almost 1/2 of fatal accidents show alcohol involvement.
19. Motorcycle riders in those accidents have difficulty avoiding the collision. Most riders overbrake and skid the rear wheel, and underbrake the front wheel, greatly reducing the ability to slow down and avoid the accident. In the presence of alcohol, the ability to countersteer and swerve are just about absent.
20. The typical motorcycle accident allows the motorcyclist just less than 2 seconds to avoid the collision.
21. Motorcycle modifications such as those associated with the semi-chopper or cafe racer are definitely overrepresented in accidents.
22. The likelihood of injury is extremely high in motorcycle accidents - 98% of multiple vehicle collisions and 96% of single vehicle accidents result in some kind of injury to the motorcycle rider; 45% result in more than a minor injury.
23. Half of the injuries to motorcycle riders are to the ankle-foot, lower leg, knee, and thigh-upper leg.
24. Crash bars are not an effective injury countermeasure; the reduction of injury to the ankle-foot is balanced by increase of injury to the thigh-upper leg, knee, and lower leg.
25. The use of heavy boots, jacket, gloves, etc., is effective in preventing or reducing abrasions and lacerations, which are frequent but rarely severe injuries.
26. Speed, alcohol involvement and motorcycle size increade the injury severity.
27. Seventy-three percent of accident-involved motorcycle riders use no eye protection, and it is likely that the wind on their unprotected eyes contributes to impairment of vision which delays hazard detection.
28. Approximately 50% of the motorcycle riders in traffic use safety helmets but only 40% wear helmets at the time of their accident.
29. Voluntary safety helmet use by accident-involved motorcycle riders was lowest for untrained, uneducated, young motorcycle riders on hot days and short trips.
30. The most deadly injuries to motorcycle accident victims are injuries to the chest and head.
31. The use of the safety helmet is the single critical factor in the prevention or reduction of head injury.
32. Safety helmet use does not decrease the riders ability to hear or see, and causes no fatigue or loss of attention; no element of accident causation is related to helmet use.
33. Helmeted riders and passengers showed significantly lower head and neck injury for all types of injury, at all levels of injury severity.
34. The increased coverage of the full facial coverage helmet increases protection, and significantly reduces face injuries.
35. There is no increase in neck injury by wearing a safety helmet; helmeted riders have fewer neck injuries than unhelmeted riders.

By Gary E Rosenberg

Car Accidents

By Eric Sotuses

SUMMARY: It is something we hope we will never have, but the reality is at some point we will have a car accident. When we do, we just hope it is small, painless and quick.

It is something we hope we will never have, but the reality is at some point we will have a car accident. When we do, we just hope it is small, painless and quick.

Here are some tips when you get in a car accident. The first thing is to make sure everyone is OK. Remember they are just cars and it is just an accident. Don't let tempers flare. What could have been something very small, can now become a nightmare when tempers flare. If the other driver has bad temper after the car accident, always make sure you call the police right away and if need be, try to have someone there with you, even if you have to flag down another motorist, just don't step in front of their automobile to stop them.

If tempers are under control and everyone is OK, it still might be a good idea to call the police, even if it is just a little fender bender. If the other driver tells you they don't want the police involved because they don't want it on their insurance, just remind them that the police only will right a report and maybe issue a ticket. It is for both parties protecting in case something happen. They other driver can still pay for damages and the insurance company will never know. Personally I would call the police for any size accident. We got hit from behind and the lady was very nice about everything and felt bad for her. Well we never called the police and guess what, we never were paid for the damages and we had no proof, so we ended up paying for the car accident. So you can see why I am a little biased and would say call the police.

A couple of things you can do to protect yourself in a car accident. First always, and I mean always buckle up, even if your just going down the block. You never know what could happen. So remember always buckle up and if your in a car accident, you will have better odds of walking away. Second, get off the phone. I know I am bad also, but plain and simple we should all be off the phone. Think about it, we are driving a 2 ton vehicle, we should pay attention to what we're doing. Third, just remember what is around you and pay attention at all times. Try to reduce the number of distractions you have.

Live happy and drive safely and avoid all car accidents.

How to Pay for Emergency Car Repairs

By Andrew Dillan

Your car has broken down, and now you need to pay for towing, and repairs. Sometimes these repairs cost unexpected hundreds or thousands of dollars. What are your options?

1. Be Prepared

The best way to avoid an emergency is to be prepared for an emergency. If you can set aside a little bit of money each month in case of any emergency (be it medical, automotive, or accident), then you will be able to manage any unexpected situations. However, if the time has come and you haven’t planned ahead, there are still some ways that you can get money.

2. Stay Calm

One of the most common mistakes that is made during emergencies is to lose your cool. If you lose your cool, you might forget to use common sense. Use your common sense to shop around. Even if you need a tow right now, consider calling a few places for quotes before having them send someone over. The ten minutes that it takes you to make some comparisons might save you twenty dollars or more. That makes the use of time well worth your money. Remember, you will be late anyway, so take your time in getting there.

When the tow truck driver arrives, be sure that you know where you want to have your car towed. You should also do some comparison shopping for this. You can even call a friend and have them make some of your phone calls for you. If you don’t know what is wrong with your car, have it taken to a mechanic or dealership that you trust. They will tell you what’s wrong, and you then be able to decide how much (it might be all) of the work you want to have done.

3. Review your Options

When you buy a car, you often get a warranty. You might be signed up for AAA or CAA. Your insurance company might cover some of the repairs needed for your car. Before you go about paying for all of the repairs out of pocket, find out what repairs are covered. Then get approval from the institution that will help you pay. It is easier to get them to pay upfront than to get them to reimburse you.

Consider keeping a membership for CAA or AAA. This means that you will have free towing if you are ever in an accident or if you ever have a breakdown. There is an annual fee, so you would have to weigh the pros and cons of membership. I, personally, find that I have gotten a lot back from my membership, including a peace of mind knowing that I am covered while I travel.

4. What NOT to do

If you need to pay for your emergency repairs, do not get a pay day loan. Pay day loans have exorbitant interest rates and will make it hard for you to get back on top of your debt.

5. Get the best interest

Find out where you will be able to get the best interest rates for the money that you will have to spend. If you take out a loan, then you will be able to pay it back in small pieces throughout the year, rather than taking an upfront loss. This also works if you cannot pay for your car.

If you put the car repairs on your credit card, remember that you will probably be paying a higher interest rate than if you got a car repair loan, or if you went to a bank or credit union. Check the interest rates that varying places offer, including at the dealership if you are having your car repaired there.

6. In the meantime

While your car is in the shop, be smart about how you get around. Don’t take taxis everywhere if you can’t afford them! Ask friends for lifts; they will understand if you are in need because of unexpected car repairs for a few days. Take the bus for a few days. Walk or bike, if possible. Set up a temporary carpool with a co-worker (this could even work for you when you get your car back!). Don’t let the expense of car repairs get larger because you don’t have your car.