Biker Season Is Here: Tips To Avoid Motorcycle Accidents

Thursday, March 1, 2018

Although California enjoys mild enough weather for bikers to exist year-round, March is upon us. This means motorcyclists from across the country will flock toward the Golden State to enjoy beautiful scenery up and down our vast coastline. With a larger biker population comes the inevitable motorcycle collision, which can cause minor scrapes, death and everything in between.

Here’s sound advice from an Oxnard motorcycle accident attorney who’s seen everything imaginable happen during motorcycle season.

Bikes are small. Look twice.

You’ve probably heard it 1000 times. So, here’s 1001: always look twice before changing lanes or turning into oncoming traffic. Motorcycles do not take up much space and are therefore sometimes not the first thing your eyes pick up when looking both ways. Busy intersections are particularly dangerous for motorcyclists, which became evident last November when an Oxnard biker lost his life.

Ventura County is a beautiful place with many scenic roadways for motorcyclists to enjoy. But it takes one second to forget to look a second time for a beautiful ride to turn tragic, and someone’s insurance company to negotiate with the injured or killed rider’s Oxnard motorcycle accident attorney.

Lane splitting is legal. Be mindful.

‘Riding the line’, or lane splitting, allows motorcyclists to navigate between congested areas around Ventura County rather than waiting behind cars. Many deemed this much safer for motorcyclists stuck in stop-and-go traffic as it can help curb rear end collisions. However, some motorists disagree.

Provided motorcyclists are splitting safely, the act is not illegal. And although passenger cars may take offense to this, California code makes it illegal for motorists to intentionally block or impede bikers from lane splitting.

As the motorcycle season takes full effect, you’ll see plenty of lane splitting happening around California. Unless you’d like to deal with a particularly angry biker and their retained Oxnard motorcycle accident attorney, don’t be mean to bikers splitting lanes.

Slow down. You’ll get there soon enough.

Speed is always a factor in motorcycle accidents across California, specifically around Ventura County. Motorists are often in a hurry, as are Uber drivers and taxicabs. Everyone wants to get to where they’re going in a hurry, so wrecks happen, they happen at the expense of the biker obeying the law.

Look, we’ll all get to work or our kids’ soccer game when we leave our homes at a decent time. No need to jeopardize the lives of a motorcyclists because you want to change lanes like a madman, or drive 70 in a 45-mph zone.

Everyone wants to get to their destination safely, especially motorcyclists. Pump the brakes a bit on speeding, and not only will you avoid getting ticketed, but a biker goes home to their family in one piece.

Remember, bikes are two-wheeled cars

Drivers may forget that motorcycles are two-wheeled vehicles afforded the same rights when riding as passenger cars.

Remember that motorcycles take up less space, and are therefore sometimes hard to pick up in our blind spots. Always look twice, don’t drive down the highway like Helio Castroneves, and remember that lane splitting may save a front or rear end collision, so let it slide.

The Law Offices of J. Jeffrey Herman has a focus on personal injury cases in other parts of California.

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