Why Car Drivers Fail To Look For Motorcyclists

    SPRINGFIELD, MA, October 27, 2022 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Motorcyclists are every bit as worthy of having a safe experience on the road as car drivers. , Yet, many accident cases involving motorcycles could have been prevented if only the other vehicle's driver had paid more attention. Sometimes even the motorcyclists are blamed as the at-fault party for the collision.

A 2019 report by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) showed that motorcyclists are 29 times more likely to suffer fatalities than vehicle occupants over the same distance.

"There are more serious and fatal road accidents involving motorcyclists than car drivers. The absence of protective chassis, enabling motorcycles to be more mobile, makes motorcyclists more prone to injury and death," said Christopher F. Cava, Founding Partner at Cava Law Firm. "While the situation raises concern about the potential safety of motorcycles, the common factor is drivers' failure to notice motorcycles."

Intentional or Not? Drivers Failing to See Motorcyclists
It is assumed that every driver on the road can see clearly. However, researchers have found that humans rank objects using several visual cues to lessen the amount of visual information processed by the brain. Objects lower in rank are forgone for those higher, leading to inattentional blindness.

For car drivers, research has shown that the priority is four-wheeled vehicles (cars/trucks) over two-wheeled ones (motorcycles) because of the perceived threat level. This means drivers must intentionally seek out motorcycles to reduce avoidable accidents. Motorcyclists are smaller than a car or truck and drivers find it harder to avoid a collision because priority, sight, and reaction times are low.

Make Car Owners Acknowledge Your Presence
Christopher F. Cava believes in communal effort and values prevention over remedying a situation. He says, "The law is in place to protect you, but you must do your part. For instance, most drivers are extra careful when driving past schools." He also says, "Most accidents could have been prevented if the driver took an extra second to look before taking the turn, changing lanes, or entering traffic."

Cava proposes that motorcyclists wear bright and reflective coats, sound their bike horns, use reflectors, and adopt defensive driving. He states that "settlements cannot always compensate for permanent injuries so be extra vigilant when operating a motorcycle and take those extra measures to stay accident-free, so expect that you are the target and always have your 'out'".

About Cava Law Firm
With over 25 years of trial experience, personal injury and motorcycle accident lawyer Christopher F. Cava is dedicated and driven to provide first-rate and expert legal support for personal injury victims. With Attorney Jennifer L. Cava-Foreman, Cava Law Firm has a winning team that aims for the maximum recovery possible.

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