SAFE MOTORCYCLE DRIVING TIPS

1. Never drink and drive.  Alcohol intoxication is responsible for 41% of all motorcycle fatal crash deaths.
2. Always wear a motorcycle helmet.  49% of all motorcyclists who were killed riding their motorcycle were not wearing a motorcycle accident.
3. Ride defensively.  75% of all motorcycle accidents involve crashes with other motor vehicles, usually collisions with cars and trucks that fail to see and avoid the motorcycle operator in time to avoid an accident.
4. Do not expect that other drivers will yield to you the right of way.
5. Overconfidence can be fatal.   Operating a motorcycle takes great skill.  Steering, braking, and accelerating require skill and coordination.  Experience and safe driving practice are the best way to develop these skills.
6. Avoid the center of a traffic lane.
7. Avoid driving after rain, or during light rains or accumulations when oil and other substances will pool on road surfaces and create slippery conditions for motorcycles.
8. Watch for roadway debris and avoid construction areas that will increase the likelihood of dangerous objects on roadways.  Although highway road defects are responsible for less than 2% of all motorcycle accidents, far less than alcohol and human error, use good riding sense and choose alternative routes that may present a safer route to take.  2% is still too much. 
9. Always ride your motorcycle with your lights on.  Most motorcycles allow you to do this even in daytime, which will make you more visible on the road. 
10. Choose a helmet and biking wear that has bright materials, reflective tape, or other materials that will increase your visibility to other drivers.
11. Maintain your motorcycle properly and schedule regular maintanence.  Check brakes, and do a routine safety check before getting on your bike.
12. Wear proper eye and face protection.
13. Follow the rules of the road and use good driving judgment.  Remember, just because you can doesn’t mean you should.
14. Slow down around other vehicles, intersections, side streets, and areas where vision areas may be blocked or partially obscured.
15. Never, ever assume another driver sees you.

We, the lawyers at MichiganAutoLaw, wish you safe rides.  We hope we never have to hear from you.  However, if you are involved in a motorcycle accident, please remember the following safety tips:

1. Call the police.
2. Seek medical attention immediately.
3. If, due to the severity of your injuries, you are unable to wait for the police, or you are unable to get the driver information (name, address, contact information) of the other driver involved in your motorcycle accident, ask someone to gather the information for you.  Many insurance companies have strict notice requirements.  Many insurance policies require “contact” with another vehicle.  This information must be available if you are going to have a successful motorcycle accident case.
4. For these reasons stated above, try to identify any possible witnesses.
5. Listen carefully to what the other driver said about the accident.  Listen and record any admissions of fault at the scene and ask that he repeat these statements of negligence before the investigating police officer.
6. If, due to the seriousness of your motorcycle accident injuries, you must report the accident and how the crash occurred from a hospital, or must have someone report the motorcycle accident on your behalf, then it is important to do so.  You must make sure to give all available information regarding how the accident occurred and the fault of the other driver to the police at that time.  Do not let the uninjured driver of the car that caused your motorcycle accident tell the police that your injuries were somehow your own fault because you are unavailable at the accident crash scene to be interviewed.