Florida Injury Lawyer Blog

While hopping on a motorcycle as a passenger can be exhilarating, passengers are much more problematic on a motorcycle than in a car. Passengers are often a bigger distraction for a motorcyclists because they must often sit right behind the motorcyclist. Passengers can also affect the balance of the motorcycle and this can sometimes lead to accidents. If you have a motorcycle, you can keep yourself and your passengers safer by following these tips:

1) Avoid passengers until you become very skilled on your motorcycle. Take a course for motorcyclists and practice driving your motorcycle in all sorts of conditions before you take on any passengers. To be safe, you need to be able to handle a motorcycle very well before you have any passengers.

2) Get a passenger’s helmet and insist all passengers wear it. Once you are ready to have passengers, you should purchase a motorcycle helmet and keep it on your bike at all times for passengers. Never allow a passenger on your motorcycle without a helmet. A helmet is the best defense you can offer your passengers against brain injuries.

3) Make sure that you start the motorcycle first and then have passengers climb on. This is usually more comfortable for the passenger and ensures that you can start the motorcycle unencumbered by your passenger.

4) Position your passengers correctly on a motorcycle. Your passengers sit behind you, with their feet on the footrests at all times. Make sure that your passengers understand that they should never remove their feet from the footrest. If they do so, you might move forward while your passenger is losing their balance. Have the passengers keep their legs away from the mufflers, as mufflers heat up during a ride and can cause burn injuries. Make sure that passengers hold into your waist at all times. There are no seat belts available – you are the stabilizing force for your passengers.

5) Instruct your passengers to lean with you when you turn. This will help keep your motorcycle more stable and will make it easier for you to control the vehicle.

6) Avoid passenger distraction. Due to the motorcycle’s noise, you will need to strain to hear your passengers talking, and this can distract you from the road. Have your passengers avoid talking and have them turn off their cell phones before hopping on your motorcycle as well – the sudden ring of the phone can startle you. On a motorcycle, a passenger’s movement can be distracting as well, so make sure your passengers remain still behind you.

Motorcycle accidents claim many lives each year and also cause serious personal injuries, including broken bones, head trauma, and spinal cord injuries. Because motorcycles are much smaller than other vehicles on the road, a collision between a motorcycle and a passenger vehicle or a truck tends to result in severe injuries for the motorcyclists. Motorcyclists also tend to be more injured because they are not protected on all sides by metal, plastic, and airbags. Luckily, there are many things that motorcyclists can do to help prevent accidents:

1) Always wear a helmet and protective gear. A motorcycle has no windshield or airbags. In a collision, most motorcyclists are thrown and when this occurs, brain injury is a common cause of fatalities. Helmets are your best way to reduce traumatic brain injuries, but to be effective they must be worn each time you climb on your motorcycle. Look for a helmet that offers a face guard or visor. This will protect your face in an accident and will keep your visibility good, so that you can avoid accidents. In addition to a helmet, long pants, boots, gloves, and a jacket can help prevent scrapes if you fall.

2) Get a proper license and training for a motorcycle. All states require motorcyclists to be licensed. In addition to licensing, consider taking extra on-bike training and additional training classes designed especially for motorcyclists. This will teach you how to ride a bike in various conditions and how to avoid some of the common dangers that face motorcyclists.

3) Do not drive under the influence. Never drink and drive, but also check your over the counter and prescription medications. Anything that affects your vision or makes you drowsy can cause an accident, so leave your bike at home until you are no longer on medication.

4) Do not speed. Studies have shown that 40% of fatal motorcycle accidents involved a motorcyclist who is speeding. If you speed on your motorcycle, you are more likely to lose control and get into an accident.

5) Look ahead and anticipate. Large bumps and holes in the road will affect you more than they will passenger cars, so anticipate them and plan ahead. Look for cars pulling out of parking spaces and side streets, as well – they may not see you in time.

6) Keep your headlights on every time you ride your motorcycle, even in the daytime. This is a law in most states, but it is also a good practice since it makes you more visible to others on the road.