If you have been riding a motorcycle for any amount of time, you have likely already had at least one close call with another motorist who did not see you near their car or was not paying attention to their surroundings. Unfortunately, these scenarios do not always end as near-misses and can lead to collisions with devastating consequences that you could not have done much to avoid.
Some things are within your control as a motorcycle rider when it comes to keeping yourself safe on the road and reducing your risk of accidental injury. Here are some key safety measures to prevent motorcycle accidents in Albuquerque that are recommended by our experienced motorcycle crash attorneys.
Unexpected breakdowns while driving around Albuquerque can put a damper on anybody’s day, but a malfunction while in motion can quickly lead to a high-speed crash. With that in mind, one of the best accident prevention measures that all motorcyclists in Albuquerque should abide by is checking their motorcycles carefully to make sure they are roadworthy before every ride, paying particularly close attention to the tires, lights, brakes, and fuel systems.
In the event you do end up in a motorcycle wreck caused by someone else’s negligence, what you are wearing at the time can have a deceptively large effect on what kinds of injuries you end up suffering. Even if you are over 18 years old and not required by state law to do it, you should still wear a safety helmet every time you ride, as well as closed-toed shoes and clothing that fits snugly and is made of a durable material like leather or denim.
Unfortunately, a lot of irresponsible drivers only look carefully—if they look at all—for other passenger cars before turning, merging, or changing lanes, not smaller machines like bicycles or motorcycles. Maximizing visibility by wearing brightly colored clothing with reflective strips can be a key safety measure to follow in order to reduce the risk of a motorcycle crash in Albuquerque, especially while riding at night.
Finally, it always pays as a motorcyclist to practice defensive riding and assume other people around you will act irresponsibly. Waiting just one extra second to double-check for oncoming traffic before entering an intersection could be life-saving if a driver blows through a red light. So too, could practices like angling a motorcycle in a way that it will not get trapped between two cars if someone rear-ends it while it is stopped in traffic.
Even if you are as responsible as any motorcycle operator could possibly be, there is still a risk that you may wind up severely injured in a wreck you were not to blame for. Proactively demanding civil compensation for the harm your crash has caused you could be key to maintaining your financial stability in the short term and preserving your best interests and overall quality of life for years to come.
You have support available from our dedicated legal professionals. Call today to discuss your legal options after a wreck or to get answers to further questions about safety measures to prevent motorcycle accidents in Albuquerque.
