We often talk about how motorcycle accidents benefit from legal assistance because the dangers of motorcycle accidents and the injuries suffered by victims tend to require significantly more compensation. However, if you do not drive a motorcycle, or you do drive a motorcycle and have been fortunate never to get into an accident, you may be wondering just how serious the threats to motorcyclists are.
If you are at all familiar with motorcycle accidents, you probably know that they do not occur as often as passenger car accidents. However, even though motorcycle accidents may not be the most common, they are easily among the most dangerous. In fact, motorcyclists face more than 25 times the risk of fatality than passenger vehicle drivers; they also face five times the likelihood of being injured. Perhaps even more telling is the fact that while fatalities for occupants of passenger vehicles has declined since the turn of the millennium, motorcycle fatalities have more than doubled.
As alarming as it may be to learn that motorcyclists face such a significant risk of fatal injury, it is also important to note that in many cases, these fatal accidents are not the biker's fault. In fact, when it comes to multivehicle accidents in which a motorcyclist was involved, other drivers violated the biker's right of way in at least two-thirds of the incidents. This means that for far more than half of such motorcycle accidents, the bikers were not at fault.
These statistics are not meant to discourage bikers from riding their beloved motorcycles. They merely serve as a reminder that motorcycle accidents are extremely dangerous, and the importance of legal assistance with a motorcycle accident claim cannot be overstated. Statistically speaking, bikers are more likely to be injured and less likely to be at fault, meaning that if you were injured in a motorcycle accident in Tennessee, you should consider meeting with an attorney to discuss your chances for compensation.