Motorcycle Safety Tips in Texas

Motorcycles are more dangerous than automobiles. Nationally, motorcycle accidents are 28 times more deadly than car accidents. Motorcyclists are also four times more likely than vehicle occupants to get injured in a traffic accident.

Most motorcycle accidents in Austin, Texas, resulting from mistakes. By riding safely, you can eliminate your mistakes and reduce the risk of getting injured or killed by anyone else’s mistakes.

Contact or call our law offices in Austin, Texas at (512) 982-9328 to schedule a free case review with an Austin motorcycle accident lawyer.

How FVF Law Can Help After a Motorcycle Accident in Austin

FVF Law has perfect or near-perfect ratings from its clients on Yelp, Google, and Avvo. Our Austin motorcycle accident attorneys have over 80 years of combined experience. We’ve used that experience to recover millions of dollars in injury compensation for our clients.

FVF Law is a values-driven law firm. When you choose us to represent you after a motorcycle accident in Austin, TX, we’ll be able to help in the following ways:

• Advocacy against insurance companies and at-fault parties
• Education about your legal rights, responsibilities, and options
• Compassion in listening to you and fighting for positive outcomes in your case
• Transparency in what we’re doing for you and what others are doing to fight us

Motorcycle accident injuries can leave you facing challenges to your health and finances. Contact FVF Law to learn about your legal options for meeting these challenges by filing an injury claim.

How Common Are Motorcycle Accidents in Texas?

Texas ranks in the top three states for motorcycle accidents, along with California and Florida. This makes sense because of Texas’s large population. Since Texas has more motorcyclists, it will logically have more motorcycle crashes.

But the same analysis ranks Texas in the top three for its fatal accident rate. In this analysis, the rate was based on deaths per 10,000 motorcycle registrations. By recategorizing the deaths by the number of motorcycles, the population is no longer a factor.

This analysis means that Texas is the second-most dangerous place for motorcyclists in the country. More importantly, fatal accidents are trending upward. Motorcycle accidents are common, fatal, and increasing in Texas.

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Overview of Motorcycle Safety Tips in Texas

Riding your motorcycle safely requires skill, knowledge, and experience. Some motorcycle safety tips that could save your life include:

Getting a Motorcycle License

Unlicensed motorcyclists only make up about 20% of motorcycle operators but 40% of motorcycle fatalities. In every state except Alabama, you must take a motorcycle safety course, pass a road test, or do both to get a motorcycle license.

The training you undergo to pass the course or test will help you learn how to:

• Control your motorcycle
• Inspect your motorcycle for safety
• Make emergency maneuvers safely

You will also learn strategies and tips for lowering your risk of getting hit by drivers.

Wearing a Helmet

Contrary to popular belief, Texas has a helmet law. You must wear a motorcycle helmet in Texas unless you are over 21 years of age and have either completed a motorcycle safety course or bought health insurance.

You should wear a helmet even if Texas’s helmet law does not cover you. A helmet reduces your risk of a head injury by 69%.

It also reduces the severity of any head injuries you suffer in a crash. Wearing a helmet reduces the odds of dying in a crash by 37% for operators and 41% for passengers.

Staying Visible

Motorcycles are less visible than larger vehicles. Drivers also have a cognitive bias against spotting motorcycles because their brains have become accustomed to looking for cars and trucks. Regardless of the reason, drivers often maneuver as if they cannot see motorcycles.

This behavior is most obvious in two situations:

Lane Change Accidents

Drivers sideswipe motorcycles while changing lanes when they fail to check their blind spots. This can happen for a few reasons, including:

• Distracted driving
• Relying on the side mirrors
• Looking but not seeing the motorcyclist

Staying visible is not just so you can be seen. It also gives you more time to maneuver when a driver cuts you off.

Stay out of blind spots. Instead, ride a bit ahead or behind cars in the adjacent lanes. This gives you the space and time to avoid a lane change crash.

Intersection Accidents

Intersection accidents happen when drivers fail to yield to motorcyclists. This often happens when drivers:

• Turn left across the path of an oncoming motorcycle
• Turn right into the path of a passing motorcycle
• Go out of turn at a stop sign or traffic light

These accidents often cause catastrophic or fatal injuries when the car hits the motorcycle either head-on or broadside.

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Schedule a Free Consultation With Our Austin Motorcycle Accident Lawyers

A motorcycle crash can cause injuries ranging from road rash to paralysis. Contact FVF Law for a free consultation to discuss the injury compensation you might be entitled to after your motorcycle accident. Our Austin motorcycle accident attorneys can help.