Motorcycle accidents cause a much higher incidence of death and injury per accident than do car accidents. In other words, if you are involved in a vehicular accident and you are on a motorcycle, you are 3 times more likely to be injured and 14 times more likely to be killed. Helmet laws, enacted in many states, are helping to reduce these numbers, but motorcyclists still are at greater risk of death or injury than those in passenger vehicles.
It is always wise to take precautions when riding a motorcycle, including:
- Wear a helmet and require your passengers to do so.
- Obey the traffic laws, especially in regard to speeding, passing, and following too closely.
- Remember that you are not as large or as visible as an automobile, so do all you can to increase your own visibility, such as riding with the headlight on at all times and wearing reflective clothing after dark.
- Be sure you are able to control the motorcycle while carrying a passenger and insist that the passenger obey your directions.
- Road hazards have a much greater affect on a small two-wheel vehicle, so watch for bumps, cracks in the road, loose gravel or any other condition that might cause you to lose control.