Motorcycle
Motorcycle riders face an elevated level of risk whenever they are on the road. Unlike other types of vehicles, there is very little protection from the elements and no structure to protect them in the event of an accident.
Car accidents can happen for various reasons, including distracted driving, failing to pay attention to surroundings, or even daylight savings. This fact places many bikers at the mercy of other motorists. Though car accidents are a leading cause of injury and death in the United States, collisions involving motorcyclists are especially dangerous for the rider. If you are a biker, you should be aware of the potential costs of being involved in a motorcycle accident.
There are obvious costs such as the physical injuries you may experience or the property damage to the bike. But there are hidden costs that will come about after the accident that could take a toll on you and your family.
Medical Bills
Injuries can be difficult enough to recover from, especially after a motorcycle accident. The physical trauma, however, may not be the most difficult aspect of the aftermath. Depending on the severity of your injury, medical bills could start to pile up as you visit the doctor’s office, pay for basic care, or even undergo surgery.
Additionally, you could suffer from internal injuries in the accident that remain hidden for months or even years with no obvious symptoms. This could lead to expensive medical treatment later in life if it is not dealt with or discovered early on. The financial hit that injury recovery expenses cause could make life difficult after the accident.
Lost Wages or Income
If you had a job at the time of the accident, you may be out for a while as you recover. Depending on the company you work for and how long you have been there, you could miss out on several paychecks because of your inability to work. This can be a truly terrifying side effect of bad motorcycle accidents.
Your livelihood depends on an income. If you have a spouse or children who are dependent upon your job, then the financial losses feel like an even bigger hit. This is something to remember as you hit the roads on your bike and should encourage you to practice safe and defensive driving. If you have been in an accident and faced financial losses as a result, contact a motorcycle accident lawyer in Murfreesboro today.
Emotional Toll
An even less obvious side effect of being involved in a motorcycle accident is the emotional toll that it takes on a rider. Even if the accident itself was not very severe, the new fears associated with being on the road could be debilitating.
In some cases, an accident victim may need to go through therapy to get past the trauma of the event. Your feeling of safety is diminished and you may feel especially vulnerable as you move through life. It is difficult to predict exactly how an accident will affect you until it happens.
You may also be hesitant to get back on the road after an accident. Your mistrust of other drivers is at an all-time high, and you could lose focus while riding and thinking about the accident. The best way to overcome this fear is to get back on the road for short trips as soon as possible. Doing so could help you move past the initial mental block that may prevent you from wanting to ride again.
Increased Chance of Road Rage
As stated above, your mistrust of other drivers could be at an all-time high, especially if the accident was caused by another driver. Your emotional reaction to unsafe driving practices may become dangerous if you start to think about the consequences you had to endure after another motorist’s actions.
Road rage leads to accidents frequently, and due to your past trauma, you may want to take out your frustrations in some way or act recklessly. Knowing that this is a possibility after an accident can help you prepare to remain calm while on the road. What happened to you was unfair, but the last thing you want to do is cause another accident because of a strong emotional reaction.
Know the Risks
As a motorcyclist, you are more likely to go unnoticed on the roads. You are harder to see because of the size of your vehicle, you are in other vehicles’ blind spots for a longer period, and many motorists believe that motorcyclists are reckless on the road.
Understanding the risks of being a rider, as well as all the potential costs of being in an accident, is important. Hopefully, it will help you follow defensive driving practices to avoid dangers on the road as effectively as possible. Though you cannot control the actions of other drivers, you can reduce the dangers by focusing on your safety.
