What Causes Motorcycle Accidents in Kansas City?

What are the causes of motorcycle accidents in Kansas City?

At Kansas City Accident Injury Attorneys, our lawyers have been fighting for accident victims for more than 30 years. We have the experience and resources to show what caused your motorcycle accident and why the accident was preventable. Some of the causes of motorcycle accidents in Missouri and Kansas include many causes that also cause car and truck accidents. These causes include:

• Driver distraction. Car drivers, truck drivers, and other drivers often cause accidents by being distracted. Driver distraction includes texting while driving, using a mobile phone, eating, drinking, or any activity that takes a driver’s eyes off the road, mind off traffic, and hands off the steering wheel.
• Speeding and other traffic violations. Drivers who fail to obey the speed limit, fail to yield to motorcycle riders, drive through stop signs, or disobey other traffic laws can cause a deadly or catastrophic motorcycle accident.
• Driving under the influence. Drunk or drugged driving is a leading cause of many types of vehicle accidents including motorcycle accidents.
• Driver fatigue. Tired drivers are dangerous drivers.

Some of the causes of motorcycle accidents that are fairly or somewhat more common to motorcycles include:

• Driver psychology. Many drivers of four-wheel vehicles fail to look for or even respect the right of motorcycle operators to be on the road. Many drivers who do see motorcycles don’t understand how much room to give motorcyclists, how fast motorcycles are traveling, and many other logistical factors.
• Dooring accidents. Drivers who park their cars may open their doors without looking to see if other vehicles are driving by. If a driver opens a car door while a motorcycle rider is next to the door, the opening of the door can cause the motorcycle rider to fall as soon as the door strikes the motorcycle – killing the driver or causing serious injury.
• Dangerous roads. Motorcycles are much less stable than vehicles with four or more wheels. Motorcycles can easily crash on roads that are slippery, have potholes where there are dead animals, if there is gravel on the roads, or if the roads are dangerous for other reasons.
• Blind spots. Cars and especially trucks have blind spots. It’s easy for a motorcycle to get hidden in these blind spots. Drivers of all cars and trucks should be especially careful when changing lanes or merging to look for motorcycles that might be in their blind spots.
• Defective motorcycle parts. Some motorcycle accidents may be due to defective tires, brakes, handles, engines, frames, and fuel systems.

According to Ride Apart, “Part of your job as a motorcyclist is to develop a precognitive sixth sense. For example, motorcycle operators can avoid accidents when cars turn in front of them by looking for signs that a car is ready to turn such as their position in an intersection and any gaps in traffic.”

Motorcycle operators should ask themselves if other drivers can see them. Are there any obstructions that may obstruct their vision? Is the driver looking at you? Where are their wheels pointing?