We at Sweeney Julian understand that motorcycle riders in Indiana are at a disadvantage compared to other people on the road. Not only are you relatively unprotected when you climb on your motorcycle, even with the best safety gear and helmet, you also are subject to the inattention and poor judgment of the motorists in passenger and commercial vehicles around you.
Indiana University’s Public Policy Institute compiles and publishes Indiana Traffic Safety Facts each year. Here is what the publication has to say about motorcycle crashes in 2018.
You may not find it surprising to know that motorcycle riders are in only 2% of all traffic crashes in the state but represent 13% of the fatalities due to their vulnerability in collisions. Motorcycle-related crashes injured 1,930 people. More than half of the motorcycle crashes in 2018 (55.4%) involved other vehicles.
In those crashes involving other vehicles, the driver of the other vehicle was most often at fault for the collision. Only 40% of the collisions were due to a mistake on the part of the motorcycle rider, while 58% were the result of the vehicle driver (and the fault in the remaining 2% was unreported). Mistakes on the part of the motorcyclist were often due to speeding, following too closely and improper passing, while vehicle drivers most often caused crashes by failing to yield the right of way, unsafe backing, improper turning and distraction.
Statistics indicate that as a motorcycle rider, whether an operator or passenger, you are more likely to survive a crash if you are wearing a helmet. In 2018, 880 of 2,871 riders in crashes wore helmets. Only 20 of the 112 fatally injured riders wore helmets. Riders under the age of 25 were more likely to wear helmets than older riders.
More information about motorcycle collisions is available on our webpage.
