Road traffic accidents are common and occur on a daily basis on our roads. Whilst we should never stop in our attempts to improve road safety, accidents continue to happen. The aim is to continually improve safety and to decrease the number of accidents on our roads. Another aim is to ensure that, if an accident does occur, the resulting injuries are limited as much as possible. I guess it is the car manufacturer’s job to make cars safer and more robust – to ensure that less people are seriously injured or killed in road accidents.
Motorcyclists are of course even more vulnerable on our roads. This is because they share the road with bigger vehicles such as cars, vans, lorries etc but do not have the protection a car or a bigger vehicle can offer. Motorcycles are also more difficult to spot as they are smaller. Obviously we do take steps to improve the visibility of motorcycles, such as by using lights even in the daytime and by using high-visibility clothing. There are also full protective leathers, helmets, gloves – all to try and improve safety or minimise injury.
Motorcyclists are vulnerable as one little error or omission by those around can cause a serious accident. As motorcyclists are not protected by their vehicles as much as say a car driver or van driver, they are more susceptible to sustaining serious injury if an accident does occur. An accident could occur at a slow or moderate speed but the injury to a motorcyclist could still be significant. It is easy for a motorcyclist to be thrown off of his or her bike.
A motorcyclist may be vulnerable when cars are changing lanes, if the car driver has not properly checked his or her mirrors or if the motorcycle was not seen. Equally an accident could occur if a car pulls out in front of an incoming motorcycle. You could say that this is the same as pulling out in front of an incoming car; however it may be more difficult to see or notice an oncoming motorcycle and this is often the problem.
Drivers are often eager to get out of a junction but the duty of care is still required. Drivers need to think about motorcyclists and double check that the road is safe before proceeding to exit a junction. If you are involved in a road traffic accident where a driver has pulled out on you, we may be able to help you. We can assess your claim for free, with no obligation. Therefore there is never anything to lose in making an enquiry with us.
