We Will Travel to You Se habla español
If you’re hurt riding a motorcycle, there’s a greater chance than ever that it’s not because of the road conditions, but because of the driver behind you – and it has re-ignited the debate over lane-splitting.
Here in Los Angeles it is already starting to turn into summer, and (like most of the year) the weather makes it more tempting than ever to ride your motorcycle. In addition to them using less gas than cars, you can often navigate traffic more quickly and have an easier time finding parking. However, riding a motorcycle in California is not without its dangers.
New statistics from the California Department of Transportation show that if you are injured while riding a motorcycle –there’s a greater than 25% chance it was a rear-end collision while the motorcyclist was stuck in traffic. This runs counter to the typical perception of riding a motorcycle as being a hazardous activity because of road conditions (like gravel on the road, or black ice) or of dangerous maneuvers like merging or splitting lanes. Instead, what it means is that even if you exercise due diligence riding a bike, make sure it’s running well, are aware of your surroundings, don’t speed, and stay attentive to drivers around you, you are still at a great risk of being hit by a driver directly behind you while waiting in traffic. In many ways this is worse than any of those other factors, as it is something completely out of your control.
The only thing within your control in a situation like that, is to make sure to contact an attorney right away who is skilled in personal injury law and can hold that other driver responsible. In addition to shedding light on the necessity of utilizing a good attorney should these type of accidents occur, it also has re-engergized the controversy around lane-splitting.