Did you know that since 2006, almost 5,000 people have been killed in motorcycle accidents? And according to the NHTSA, nearly 500 of those take place right here in California. Weather was a factor in only about 2% of those accidents. Does this sound crazy to you? Maybe so, however, think about this; people who ride motorcycles are more likely to be killed in an accident no matter what caused the accident because of the limited protection offered by the vehicles themselves. Motorcycles do not have seatbelts, airbags, or reinforced panels leaving them little protection against a car, van, or truck. This is a major problem considering more than 3/4 of all motorcycle accidents occur with a passenger vehicle instead of another motorcycle or pedestrian. Many of these are caused by other drivers not being aware that the motorcycle is even present. Almost 1/4 of the rest of the motorcycle accidents do not usually involve any other vehicles or people. These accidents are most often a result of the driver losing control of the motorcycle and colliding with an inanimate object. In more than half of all motorcycle accidents, fuel leaks or spills occurred. This increases the chances that the motorcycle with catch fire.

One thing that is not different about motorcycle accidents, people between 16 and 24 years of age are more likely to cause or to be involved in these accidents. More than 90% of the accidents involved a rider with less than 5 months experience.

Injuries to the riders of the motorcycles are almost unavoidable. Over 95% of accidents involve injuries to the rider Injuries to the drivers of the motorcycles usually occur throughout the leg. Tests show that the crash bar is not effective in protecting the ankle area in an accident. Head, chest, and groin injuries also occur in these collisions. This is because only about 40% of riders involved in accidents were wearing helmets at the time of the crash, while more than 70% of riders were wearing no eye protection. Helmets and eye protection is the key since head injuries are the #1 cause of death of a motorcycle rider in an accident. Of course, the severity of the injuries to a rider in an accident depends upon speed, alcohol, and the size of the motorcycle.

The problem with motorcycle riders who are involved in accidents is that over 90% over them have no insurance on the vehicle. This can cause people to have to pay out of pocket for accident damage and medical expenses and nobody wants to do that.