{"id":1639,"date":"2019-10-23T10:00:53","date_gmt":"2019-10-23T10:00:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/harshlaw.com\/?p=1639"},"modified":"2019-10-23T10:00:53","modified_gmt":"2019-10-23T10:00:53","slug":"california-accident-lawyer-harshbarger-law-motorcycle-accident-rates-risen-steadily-25-years-southern-california","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/harshlaw.com\/california-accident-lawyer-harshbarger-law-motorcycle-accident-rates-risen-steadily-25-years-southern-california\/","title":{"rendered":"California Accident Lawyer \u2013 Harshbarger Law Motorcycle accident rates have risen steadily for 25 years in Southern California"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Data source: https:\/\/www.ots.ca.gov\/ots-and-traffic-safety\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY \u2013 Most Recent Annual Data via\nOffice of Traffic Safety<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
TYPE OF COLLISION<\/strong><\/td>VICTIMS KILLED & INJURED<\/strong><\/td>OTS RANKING*<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
Total Fatal and Injury<\/td>16263<\/td>13\/58<\/td><\/tr>
Alcohol Involved<\/td>1766<\/td>6\/58<\/td><\/tr>
Had Been Drinking Driver < 21<\/td>92<\/td>7\/58<\/td><\/tr>
Had Been Drinking Driver 21 \u2013 34<\/td>628<\/td>5\/58<\/td><\/tr>
Motorcycles<\/strong><\/td>906<\/strong><\/td>19\/58<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
Pedestrians<\/td>618<\/td>42\/58<\/td><\/tr>
Pedestrians < 15 <\/td>72<\/td>42\/58<\/td><\/tr>
Pedestrians 65+<\/td>49<\/td>53\/58<\/td><\/tr>
Bicyclists<\/td>337<\/td>51\/58<\/td><\/tr>
Bicyclists < 15 <\/td>43<\/td>53\/58<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n
TYPE OF COLLISION<\/strong><\/td>FATAL & INJURY COLLISIONS<\/strong><\/td>OTS RANKING*<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
Speed Related<\/td>3701<\/td>23\/58<\/td><\/tr>
Nighttime (9:00pm \u2013 2:59am)<\/td>1548<\/td>9\/58<\/td><\/tr>
Hit and Run<\/td>982<\/td>29\/58<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table>\n\n\n\n

*The OTS Rankings were developed so that individual\ncities could compare their city\u2019s traffic safety statistics to those of other\ncities with similar-sized populations. Cities could use these comparisons to\nsee what areas they may have problems in and which they were doing well in. The\nresults helped both cities and OTS identify emerging or on-going traffic safety\nproblem areas in order to help plan how to combat the problems and help with\nthe possibility of facilitating grants. In recent years, media, researchers and\nthe public have taken an interest in the OTS Rankings. It should be noted that\nOTS rankings are only indicators of potential problems; there are many factors\nthat may either understate or overstate a city\/county ranking that must be\nevaluated based on local circumstances.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY \u2013 Motorcycle Accident Rates Only<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
TYPE OF COLLISION<\/strong><\/td>VICTIMS KILLED & INJURED<\/strong><\/td>OTS RANKING*<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
2016 – Motorcycles<\/td>906<\/td>19\/58<\/td><\/tr>
2015 – Motorcycles<\/td>857<\/td>16\/58<\/td><\/tr>
2014 – Motorcycles<\/td>655<\/td>20\/58<\/td><\/tr>
2013 – Motorcycles<\/td>272<\/td>21\/58<\/td><\/tr>
2012 – Motorcycles<\/td>522<\/td>47\/58<\/td><\/tr>
2011 – Motorcycles<\/td>544<\/td>21\/58<\/td><\/tr>
2010 – Motorcycles<\/td>210<\/td>29\/58<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI Just Didn\u2019t See Them.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Little respect is paid to motorcyclists in Southern\nCalifornia. Whether due to the passive-aggressive SUV squeezing closer to\nprevent lane splitting or improperly checking side view mirrors before a lane\nchange, every rider has experienced near-misses because of careless or\ndistracted drivers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When a passenger or commercial vehicle driver hits a\nmotorcycle rider, the most common response is \u201cI just didn\u2019t see the motorcycle,\nthey came out of no-where.\u201d This is not a legal excuse, nor even a human\nresponse. Motorcyclists, bicyclists, even pedestrians don\u2019t materialize out of\nthin air using magic \u2013 careless drivers are being careless when operating an\nautomobile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo one owns the road, we share it.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lane-splitting or lane-sharing is legal in California, the\nonly state with such a law with a reported benefit of reducing freeway\ncongestion and air pollution, according to the State of California Office of\nTransit Safety report. Previously, lane splitting was commonly accepted to help\nwith the performance of certain motorcycles requiring airflow to keep from\noverheating \u2013 however, allowing motorcycle drivers to safely lane-split is one\nsmall step toward alleviating traffic congestion for all drives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lane splitting usually occurs between the carpool (HOV) lane\nand left-most non HOV lane (commonly referred to as the \u2018fast\u2019 lane) where\nriders have more room to pass motorists. The sharing of the carpool lane can\ncause conflicts or a vicious traffic collision such as one that happened about\nthis time last year involving a case of road rage. Drivers either have jealousy\nof the motorcyclist ability to bypass traffic and use passive-aggressive lane\nblocking to dangerously attempt to stop the motorcycle in a petty attempt at\npersonal justice (“I’ll show him” mentality) or drivers fail to\nproperly look for motorcyclists when lane changing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are several examples of motorcyclists in collisions\nwith drivers while lane-splitting:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=_HA3rmezzEo<\/a>\n(compilation of accidents)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=_fK9bmMy7Go<\/a>\n(road rage, Southern California)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Motorcyclists ride a 600-pound bike with no protection.\nColliding with a 4,000-pound steel car means getting hurt is certain and\ninjuries are often fatal, said the report. While only 20 percent of car crashes\nresult in injury or death, that figure jumps to 80 percent for motorcycle\ncrashes, says the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Limited visibility is responsible for 38% of fatal\nmotorcycle crashes, according to the NHTSA National Highway Traffic Safety\nAdministration (2011). <\/em><\/strong>https:\/\/www.nhtsa.gov\/<\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When a motorcycle accident occurs, motorcyclists of the\nRedlands and Inland Empire area face many obstacles, from medical recovery to\ntheir recovery of damages. The motorcycle accident lawyers of Harshbarger Law\nare dedicated to helping victims who have been injured in a crash \u2013 whether\nwith an individual or commercial driver. Our attorneys, led by seasoned lawyer\nMark Harshbarger, know how to counter the common biases against motorcyclist\nstereotypes and focus on the facts, the law, and negligence of the automobile\ndriver.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For automobiles, 31% of crashes result in injury but\nonly 0.29% of accidents are fatal. For motorcycles 78.3% of reported crashes\nresult in injury and 4.24% of crashes are fatal. Motorcycle accidents involving\nanother vehicle result in serious injury to motorcyclists versus the driver and\npassengers of the automobile (NHTSA). <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Motorcyclists have very little protection in a collision.  Facts about motorcyclist fatalities:<\/p>\n\n\n\n