Although motorcycle riding has become more commonplace in the last couple of decades, there are still persistent, unfortunate, and untrue perceptions held about motorcyclists. Part of the job of a lawyer representing an injured motorcyclist is dispelling myths and misunderstandings about motorcycle riding and challenging the unspoken prejudices that are commonly held about bikers. Here, we discuss just a few of these myths, which motorcycle accident attorneys are responsible for debunking.
Riding a motorcycle is basically like driving
When a non-rider attempts to understand motorcycling through the lens of his experience driving a car, it invariably leads to a distorted picture, one that misses some important realities about the physics of motorcycles. For example, motorcycles are more responsive to the rider’s movements than cars. Another is that they are more susceptible to poor road conditions. However, they are also more maneuverable, which gives bikers more agility—and more of a chance to avoid an accident they see coming. The view that riding a motorcycle is basically like driving also obscures the many advantages of riding a bike over driving a car. Some of the following advantages benefit the motorcycle rider, but many benefit society as a whole.
Motorcycles…
- are far more fuel-efficient than cars and produce much less emissions.
- cut down on traffic.
- are less expensive to own and maintain.
- are easier to find parking for and take up less space.
- give their riders a sense of freedom, independence, excitement and focused relaxation, all of which amount to a meaningful psychological benefit.
Motorcyclists “come out of nowhere”
This is a line that one hears again and again in motorcycle accident cases. It’s typically uttered by the negligent driver who simply failed to see the rider and is trying to claim that, rather than being in plain view, the motorcyclist magically appeared all of a sudden, not giving the driver enough time to correct the mistake. Motorcycles don’t “come out of nowhere,” but it is true that, because drivers don’t see them, it can often seem as though this is the case.
One of the most common accident scenarios between cars and motorcycles is the “left turn,” in which a driver makes a left turn into an oncoming motorcycle. These accidents occur because the driver either doesn’t see the motorcycle at all, or decides that there is enough time to complete the turn.
The motorcyclist is almost always at fault
If one were to believe the mistaken assumptions we’ve discussed so far, what do you think would be the conclusion one would reach about motorcycle accidents in general? Unfortunately for accident victims, it’s what lawyers call a “presumption of guilt.” The motorcyclist is guilty until proven innocent. Even the judgment of police officers is not immune from this prejudice. It’s common knowledge among attorneys that motorcycle accidents very often yield police reports that are overtly slanted in favor of the driver and against the biker. In these situations, a qualified, experienced personal injury attorney should do his or her own investigation into the accident and may consult with experts in the reconstruction of motorcycle collisions in order to determine what really happened and with whom the responsibility rests. The result of this kind of investigation often reveals that the injured biker, if not for the driver’s lack of attention and familiarity with motorcycles, would have ridden away unscathed.