Common Causes of Crashes Between Cars and Motorcycles

Most motorcycle accidents that occur in Florida are between motorcycles and other motor vehicles. Sharing the road safely requires that vehicle drivers and motorcyclists keep their eyes out for each other to avoid accidents. While bikers occasionally cause accidents with motorists, research shows that motor vehicle drivers are responsible for causing crashes with motorcycles most of the time.

It’s important to understand the most common driver behaviors and situations that can cause motorcyclist accidents along with safety tips for sharing the road with other vehicle drivers. By keeping these points in mind, you can help ensure you keep yourself and your motorcycle passengers safe.

If you have sustained severe injuries in a motorcycle accident a negligent driver caused, Florida law permits you to seek compensation for damages related to the accident and your injuries. Contact an experienced motorcycle accident lawyer as soon as possible to discuss the circumstances of your motorcycle accident, your injuries, and how they have affected your life.

The Most Common Causes of Motorcycle Accidents

Motorcycles are smaller than other vehicles, and they do not have doors, side panels, and roofs to protect their riders from injury in a crash. In fact, motorcyclists and their passengers often suffer severe or fatal injuries in crashes where vehicle drivers walk away with either minor injuries or no injuries at all.

The following are common causes of motorcycle accidents with other vehicles:

Changing Lanes Without Checking Blind Spots

Lane changes are one of the common causes of crashes between cars and motorcycles. Most often, lane-change accidents occur when vehicle drivers do not check their blind spots beforehand. Blind spots specifically refer to the areas of the road drivers cannot see when they look in their side mirrors and rearview mirrors. No matter how many mirrors a vehicle has or how they’re adjusted, almost every motor vehicle has blind spots—and the larger the vehicle, the larger the blind spots.

On most vehicles, blind spots are located on each side of the vehicle. Failure to check blind spots occurs because of inexperience or pure carelessness. New drivers learn how to check their blind spots, but they might fall into bad habits when they are no longer driving with their mom or dad or their driver’s education instructor. Sometimes, even experienced drivers merge into another lane without looking over their shoulders first.

Ignoring blind spots is dangerous no matter what vehicle might be in a blind spot, but it is especially dangerous for bikers. Motorcyclists do not have the same protections other vehicle drivers have, and even a minor accident can cause major injuries to bikers and their passengers. Also, when motorcycle accidents happen on multi-lane highways or interstates, bikers can get pushed into other traffic or off the road, potentially leading to catastrophic injuries.

Many bikers know car drivers are not diligent about checking their blind spots, so they avoid them when possible. Yet, avoiding blind spots in heavy traffic is difficult, if not impossible.

Sudden Turns and Hard Braking

Motorcyclists need ample time to react when cars make turns or lane changes. Using turn signals help inform bikers of maneuvers, but these quick moves can lead to severe accidents. Bikers, like their four-wheel counterparts, need to allow enough following distance to react appropriately when a car turns or changes lanes. Yet, even the most experienced motorcyclists struggle to avoid an accident when a car makes a lane change too suddenly. These scenarios often result from an inattentive driver or a driver unfamiliar with the road.

Motorcycles have both front and rear brakes, and the front brakes control approximately 75 percent of the stopping power. Coming to a safe stop or slowing requires bikers to apply the front and rear brakes together. When cars make sudden movements, bikers have to slam on their brakes to avoid hitting the rear of the vehicle. Some motorcycles have anti-lock braking systems that prevent the bike from going into a skid. However, bikes without ABS risk sliding into the car in front of them or the biker losing complete control and crashing.

Sudden lane changes and quick turns are hazardous for motorcycles during rainy weather. Wet roads require more stopping distance, and tires can hydroplane on water. Attentive drivers who signal their turns and lane changes well ahead of time give motorcyclists, and everyone else, the opportunity to avoid a dangerous accident.

Drunk Driving

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that drunk driving fatalities and crashes have decreased since the 1980s, yet they still occur far too often. FLHSMV estimates more than 5,000 alcohol-related car crashes in Florida each year, a portion of which involve motorcycles. Sharing the road safely with motorcycles requires motorists not only to see them but have the capacity to react to them on the road and at intersections.

Sometimes, drivers think, “I’ll just have one or two. It will be fine.” Unfortunately, the body becomes impaired before a driver is legally drunk at 0.08 blood or breath alcohol level, so drivers who only have one or two put bikers at risk.

The NHTSA reports the following predictable effects on driving at different blood alcohol concentrations (BAC):

Even the smallest amount of alcohol can impair a driver enough to crash into a motorcyclist. Intersections are perilous no matter how well they are planned. Drivers need to watch for oncoming traffic, cross-traffic, stoplights or stop signs, turn lanes, crosswalks, and other information.

As mentioned above, alcohol consumption impairs the ability to process information quickly. The human brain only processes one thing at a time, but it can do it quickly when not impaired. Slowing the process makes it next to impossible to react to all the information a driver encounters. Impaired drivers run red lights, speed, swerve, and make sudden maneuvers, leading to dangerous motorcycle accidents.

Drowsy Driving

Another common cause of a crash between a car and a motorcycle is drowsy driving. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, responsible for regulating the trucking industry, has devoted ample time and resources to study the relationship between driving and sleep. Truck drivers with demanding schedules often suffer from fatigue. Research found that staying awake for 18 straight hours impairs the body to the same level as having a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08 percent. This is true for all drivers, not only those in semi-trucks.

Drowsy driving or fatigued driver often occurs when drivers do not get enough sleep or regularly deprive themselves of sleep. Drowsy drivers are not only impaired drivers, but they risk falling asleep at the wheel, too. Nodding off while operating a motor vehicle, even if only for a few seconds, can result in dangerous head-on accidents if a driver swerves into oncoming traffic. Even the safest bikers who wear helmets and all the proper gear are lucky if they escape death during a high-speed, head-on collision.

Sleep disorders. One reason drivers may be drowsy is untreated sleep disorders. Sometimes people go through life and do not realize they have a health issue, or they choose not to seek treatment. Those who have untreated sleep disorders often suffer from driver fatigue. Common sleep disorders include:

• Insomnia – Occurs when someone cannot fall asleep or stay asleep. People with insomnia are often drowsy, or their lack of sleep affects their senses and judgment.
• Sleep apnea – Refers to a condition where someone stops breathing during their sleep. It is one of the most common untreated sleep disorders. Sufferers do not get a good sleep at night, so they are sleepy throughout the day.
• Narcolepsy – Refers to having an uncontrollable urge to sleep at really inconvenient and unusual times. Someone who has untreated narcolepsy can easily fall asleep at the wheel while driving a car.

OTC and prescription medication. A wide range of over-the-counter medications and prescription drugs can cause drowsiness or fatigue. Most medications that make people drowsy come with warning labels that warn users not to operate vehicles after taking the drug. Yet, drivers do it all the time. It’s obvious that tranquilizers and sleeping pills make drivers drowsy, but some do not realize that allergy medications and many cold medicines can also induce drowsiness. Additionally, some drugs do not induce drowsiness unless a driver mixes them with alcohol. These things are a recipe for disaster when a driver is sharing the road with a motorcyclist.

Time of day. Research shows that drowsiness while driving is more related to the time of day someone is driving rather than the length of time they have been driving. The vast majority of those in cars are less alert at night, especially after midnight. Drowsiness, however, can get worse after someone has been driving for a long time.

Shift workers, taxi drivers, and rideshare drivers are especially vulnerable to drowsy driving. Whether driving to or from work or transporting passengers in the middle of the night, these drivers risk striking a motorcyclist if they haven’t had the proper rest before venturing out.

Poor diet. Those who regularly skip meals or eat at odd times sometimes suffer from fatigue. Additionally, going to bed without eating or right after consuming a heavy meal can make it difficult to fall asleep or interrupt sleep. People who have diabetes also risk drowsy driving. Diabetes impacts the body’s blood sugar, and when it is too high or too low, some feel sleepy.

The FMCSA’s research on sleep and driving found that long hours, an unhealthy lifestyle, and sleeping problems were the main things that led to commercial vehicle drivers falling asleep at the wheel. Logically, you can extend this to include all drivers on the road, and any of them can cause a serious motorcycle accident that injures you or a loved one.

Distracted Driving

Driving while distracted is not new, but the growing popularity of cell phones and drivers using their phones behind the wheel has catapulted it into everyday conversations about driving safety. Most experts and government agencies agree that a driving distraction includes any activity that keeps a driver’s eyes off the road, hands off the wheel, or mind off driving.

State governments, including Florida’s, have given special attention to texting and driving because it is a visual, manual, and mental distraction—a triple threat. Drivers who use their cell phones while operating a vehicle put others on the road at risk, including motorcyclists.

With so much attention devoted to cell phone use behind the wheel, some forget about other common driving distractions that can lead to dangerous accidents between cars and motorcycles. Some examples include:

Food & Drink. Whether swinging through a fast-food drive-thru to grab a combo meal or stopping at a convenience store to grab a snack and a drink, the overwhelming majority of motorists eat and drink—at least occasionally—while operating their vehicles. Drinking and eating while driving can serve as a visual distraction, but it is always a manual distraction. Drivers who grab for their food or drink must take at least one hand off the wheel, making it difficult to keep control of their vehicle and respond appropriately when sharing the road with a motorcycle.

Personal Grooming. It’s not uncommon for those who are running late to school or work to engage in personal grooming while driving. For some, this means combing or brushing their hair. Others put on a full face of makeup, including everything from foundation to mascara to lipstick or lip gloss, and some men shave with electric razors while driving. Personal grooming visually and manually distracts drivers from watching the road and driving.

Vehicle Features. Today’s cars come equipped with many features for drivers, such as GPS and infotainment systems. These features often require adjusting, but it’s only safe to do so when drivers are parked or stopped in traffic. Pushing one button to engage a feature or make an adjustment typically is not a safety hazard that leads to accidents. Yet, when drivers take their eyes away from the road and focus on some features, they succumb to a distraction that could lead to a dangerous crash between a car and a motorcycle. Programming a GPS, adjusting the radio, and adjusting mirrors while driving are examples of activities that could lead to an accident.

Passengers. Drivers who typically do not carry other occupants or passengers do not have to deal with their distractions. Yet, multiple people in one vehicle can lead to dangerous cognitive, and sometimes manual and visual distractions, that lead to accidents. Parents speak to children in the car, reach for things to give them, or sometimes must deal with multiple children crying or fighting. However, adults are as guilty of arguing or having heavy discussions while driving, which makes it difficult for drivers to concentrate behind the wheel.

Mental Focus. Drivers need to stay mentally engaged in operating a vehicle when they are behind the wheel. For some, a long drive is an opportunity to reflect on their day, their job, their personal relationships, and whatever else is happening in their life. Sometimes, drivers lose mental focus on driving because they are daydreaming about other things. In other cases, drivers lose mental and visual focus because they are watching another event, often a traffic accident, outside the vehicle. Losing mental focus creates dangerous inattention that sometimes leads to dangerous crashes between cars and motorcycles.

Merging Vehicles

When motorists enter or exit a freeway and need to merge into traffic, they sometimes put motorcycle riders in dangerous situations. Much like lane changes, if motorists do not check their mirrors, they might not see a motorcycle in their blind spot. Failure to yield to a motorcycle that is already cruising along can lead to treacherous accidents. In these cases, cars sometimes run a biker off the road if they do not crash into them. In other situations, a driver might notice the biker at the last second but still ends up cutting off the motorcycle and causing an accident.

Open Car Doors

Open car door accidents typically occur on city streets where the speed limit is much lower than on the highway. An open-door crash occurs when a motorist is entering or exiting their car, most often on the side of a street, and the street is too narrow for a motorcyclist to avoid an open car door and crashing into it. Sometimes, bikers have enough time to slow down or stop to avoid an accident, or they can swerve if there is no traffic in their way. Other times, drivers open their doors too quickly, making it impossible for a motorcyclist to avoid accidents and injuries.

Similarly, an open car door in heavy traffic forces a motorcyclist to make a gut-wrenching decision: hit the door or swerve into another vehicle. Although these crashes are typically not fatal, they can cause severe injuries for those on motorcycles. Like many other crashes between motorcycles and cars, the faster the speed when the crash occurs, the higher likelihood of severe or fatal injuries.

Tailgating

Driving instructors drill their students to keep a safe distance between their car and other vehicles on the road, including motorcycles. Yet, tailgating is pervasive in Orlando, in Florida, and across the nation, regardless of how much experience the person behind the wheel has. Tailgating is sometimes a result of bad driving habits, but other times it’s a direct result of aggressive driving. Perhaps motorists are running late, so they are rushed, or they are simply impatient.

Rear-end collisions can be minor when two vehicles are involved, but there is no such thing as a small fender-bender when cars and motorcycles crash. If a car follows a motorcycle too closely and smashes into the back of the motorcycle, the rider and motorcycle passengers can sustain severe injuries. Bikers risk getting thrown from their bike or pushed into another vehicle when a car rear-ends them.

A Crash Between a Car and Motorcycle Leads to Serious Injuries

If they’re lucky, motorcyclists walk away from crashes with little to no injury. However, more often than not, bikers suffer severe or fatal injuries in an accident. Some serious injuries that bikers face when a car and motorcycle crash include:

• Multiple fractures. A motorcycle accident with a car can leave a biker with multiple fractures or crushed bones. These injuries are not only painful, but they often require corrective or reconstructive surgery. Even with doctors’ best efforts at repair, a motorcyclist sometimes must cope with lifelong discomfort and pain.
• Traumatic brain injuries. People under age 21 must wear a helmet when operating a motorcycle in Florida, but others have the choice to opt out of the helmet law if they purchase a separate motorcycle insurance policy. Bikers can suffer a brain injury from a traffic crash with or without a helmet, but wearing a helmet can prevent permanent damage or death. Brain injuries have mild to severe long-term consequences for many, including struggles with memory, motor functions, and cognition.
• Neck and back injuries. Anytime a collision happens between a car and a motorcycle, a biker can sustain neck and back injuries. These injuries can include minor soft tissue injuries such as sprains and strains or more serious tears. More severe neck and back injuries include fractured vertebrae, herniated discs, and spinal cord injuries. Trauma to the neck or back that causes damage to the spinal cord can lead to permanent paralysis.
• Road rash. Bikers can suffer road rash if they get thrown from their bike during an accident. The impact of a crash can throw a person from their bike and their body continues to slide on the ground. Protective gear helps mitigate some damage from road rash. Those who have thin clothing or no gear risk painful road rash that can remove layers of skin until the bone is visible. Open wounds from road rash often contain dirt, sand, and other particles that sometimes cause serious infections.

Motorcycle Safety Tips to Share the Road Safely with Cars