California's Dangerous Roads: Motorcyclists At The Greatest Risk

Dangerous roads take the lives of hundreds of California motorcyclists each year. Just last week, Orange County saw two motorcycle wrecks in one day. Early Friday morning, the California Highway Patrol was informed of a collision in Costa Mesa on the southbound I-405 transition road to the southbound 73. A flatbed truck had struck a motorcyclist, leaving him severely injured. Authorities are still looking for the driver of the truck. That night, a 53-year-old motorcyclist from Garden Grove died from the injuries he sustained after running into a concrete median in Los Alamitos. In a study that tracked the number of motorcyclist injuries and fatalities that occurred throughout the country, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) found that both had steadily risen from 1998 to 2008, with California accounting for more motorcyclist fatalities than any other state in the nation.

With an annual total of 537 motorcyclist fatalities in 2008, at least one motorcyclist died every day that year. While alcohol use was involved in 56 percent of these accidents, 44 percent could be attributed to other causes. Californias dangerous roads are also the result of the negligence of other drivers and poor road conditions.

Motorcycles have a smaller profile than cars or trucks, which makes them difficult to see, especially if surrounded by trucks or SUVs. When changing lanes, drivers often check for other cars and, in many cases, do not anticipate a motorcyclist suddenly appearing from behind a truck. Drivers are also apt to over- or underestimate the speed of a motorcyclist because of the vehicle's smaller profile, which also leads to accidents; for instance, a driver making a left-hand turn may underestimate how quickly the motorcyclist will reach the intersection. More than two-thirds of collisions between motorcyclists and other vehicles are not caused by the motorcyclist.

Motorcyclists must react differently to poor road conditions than the drivers of trucks and cars, in part because their vehicles weigh less. While potholes, railroad tracks, and other road obstructions seldom impact a car or truck drivers course, a motorcyclist must slow down or go around such obstructions so as to avoid an accident. Accidents often result when other drivers are not anticipating an abrupt change in a motorcyclists speed or when a motorcyclist has not allowed him or herself enough time to slow down.

While these risks are inherent to motorcycle riding and impact motorcyclists across the country, Californias extensive network of freeways and highways and thriving car culture magnify them, leading California to possess some of the most dangerous roads in the nation. Increased vigilance, on the part of motorcyclists and the drivers of other types of vehicles, will contribute to making our roads safer.