The Dangers of Being a New Motorcycle Driver in Milwaukee
No matter how experienced a motorcyclist is on their bike, no biker is immune to the potential danger of motorcycle accidents. This is especially true for those individuals just learning to ride. According to the Highway Loss Data Institute, new riders are four more times likely to get in an accident in their first 30 days of riding than in their entire second year.
The Institute’s CEO says that for most people, riding a motorcycle is a complex task requiring at least a half-dozen steps including shifting gears, feathering the throttle, releasing the clutch, braking and watching for traffic. The study showed 22 percent of nearly 57,000 collision claims from 2003 to 2007 occurred in the first month after the insurance policy took effect. The numbers began to gradually drop after the second month, according to the Republic.
No amount of training bikers receive while learning to ride may be enough to reduce the risk of accidents. One safety study suggests that licensing courses that fast-track the time it takes to get on the road don’t lower crash risks and but could potentially raise them.
A representative with the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety admitted that some training courses actually contradict the idea that they reduce the likelihood of accidents. For example, research has shown that collision claim frequency among graduates of state-required training programs for riders under 21 was actually 10 percent higher than states without those requirements.
Federal data shows more than 5,000 bikers died in motorcycle accidents in 2008, which is twice the amount compared to the previous decade.
Source: The Republic, “Motorcycle crash risk drops sharply after the first month on the road,” Michael Virtanen, April 15, 2012
If you need legal representation following an accident with a motorcycle driver in Milwaukee, contact a Milwaukee motorcycle accident attorney with Domnitz & Domnitz, S.C. for a free consultation.