With the increase of older novice motorcycle enthusiasts on the roads and highways, it’s critical that new cycle riders understand the top five critical safety tips to avoid injury or death on the Virginia (VA) or neighboring Carolina highways (or anywhere else for that matter). Our top five motorcycle safety tips are below.

Motorcycle Safety Tip 1

Proper riding gear is essential to your safety and includes - a DOT approved helmet (that complies with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 218), eye protection, gloves, long pants and over the ankle boots.

Helmets protect the rider from head injury, flying objects, hearing loss and cold or sunburn. Head injuries (traumatic brain injury/concussion) account for the vast majority of motorcycle fatalities. Statistics show riders are five times more likely to sustain a critical head injury in a crash without a helmet.

In the past five years, motorcycle helmet use has been increasing slowly but steadily – from 48 percent in 2005 to 67 percent in 2009, according to The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

The American Motorcyclist Association has a state-by-state list of helmet laws for your reference.

Motorcycle Safety Tip 2

Riding at night can be especially dangerous as your perception is drastically reduced. Be careful not to override your motorcycle’s headlight (calibrate speed down to stay within your headlight range). Consider using a Halogen brake light bulb which is 35 percent brighter and can help call greater attention to your brake when applied.

Most importantly, wear bright clothing to make yourself more visible to other drivers.

Motorcycle Safety Tip 3

Slow down before you enter the turn; look as far ahead as possible through the turn. Slowly accelerate as you enter and drive through the turn, which creates stability which cannot be accomplished without properly slowing down and preparing for the turn.

Motorcycle Safety Tip 4

The first few minutes of a rainstorm pose the most risk as the water mixes with the oil and fluids on the roadway making it slippery. Try to ride in the tracks of other bikers in front of you as they force away the water and oils.

Motorcycle Safety Tip 5

Controlling your bike is a greater challenge when riding with a passenger. Make sure your passenger is wearing proper riding gear, knows how to sit and where to put their feet and hands. Your cycling passenger should be properly educated and ready to ride for your safety as well as for theirs.

It goes without saying that you should never get on your bike if you have consumed any drugs or alcohol. Your most important weapon on the bike, your judgment, becomes impaired and your reaction time is slowed.

May was Motorcycle Awareness Month sponsored by NHTSA. Read the agency's report, "Traffic Safety Facts [2008 Data]."

About the Editors: Shapiro, Cooper, Lewis & Appleton personal injury law firm (VA-NC law offices ) edits the injury law blogs Virginia Beach InjuryBoard, Norfolk InjuryBoard, and Northeast North Carolina InjuryBoard as a pro bono service to consumers.

With the increase of older novice motorcycle enthusiasts on the roads and highways, it’s critical that new cycle riders understand the top five critical safety tips to avoid injury or death on the Virginia (VA) or neighboring Carolina highways (or anywhere else for that matter). Our top five motorcycle safety tips are below.

Motorcycle Safety Tip 1

Proper riding gear is essential to your safety and includes - a DOT approved helmet (that complies with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 218), eye protection, gloves, long pants and over the ankle boots.

Helmets protect the rider from head injury, flying objects, hearing loss and cold or sunburn. Head injuries (traumatic brain injury/concussion) account for the vast majority of motorcycle fatalities. Statistics show riders are five times more likely to sustain a critical head injury in a crash without a helmet.

In the past five years, motorcycle helmet use has been increasing slowly but steadily – from 48 percent in 2005 to 67 percent in 2009, according to The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

The American Motorcyclist Association has a state-by-state list of helmet laws for your reference.

Motorcycle Safety Tip 2

Riding at night can be especially dangerous as your perception is drastically reduced. Be careful not to override your motorcycle’s headlight (calibrate speed down to stay within your headlight range). Consider using a Halogen brake light bulb which is 35 percent brighter and can help call greater attention to your brake when applied.

Most importantly, wear bright clothing to make yourself more visible to other drivers.

Motorcycle Safety Tip 3

Slow down before you enter the turn; look as far ahead as possible through the turn. Slowly accelerate as you enter and drive through the turn, which creates stability which cannot be accomplished without properly slowing down and preparing for the turn.

Motorcycle Safety Tip 4

The first few minutes of a rainstorm pose the most risk as the water mixes with the oil and fluids on the roadway making it slippery. Try to ride in the tracks of other bikers in front of you as they force away the water and oils.

Motorcycle Safety Tip 5

Controlling your bike is a greater challenge when riding with a passenger. Make sure your passenger is wearing proper riding gear, knows how to sit and where to put their feet and hands. Your cycling passenger should be properly educated and ready to ride for your safety as well as for theirs.

It goes without saying that you should never get on your bike if you have consumed any drugs or alcohol. Your most important weapon on the bike, your judgment, becomes impaired and your reaction time is slowed.

May was Motorcycle Awareness Month sponsored by NHTSA. Read the agency's report, "Traffic Safety Facts [2008 Data]."

About the Editors: Shapiro, Cooper, Lewis & Appleton personal injury law firm (VA-NC law offices ) edits the injury law blogs Virginia Beach InjuryBoard, Norfolk InjuryBoard, and Northeast North Carolina InjuryBoard as a pro bono service to consumers.

A middle school student was walking to their bus stop in Charlotte, North Carolina (NC) when they were struck by a motorcycle.

According to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department the motorcycle was traveling on the 11200 block of Amber Glen Drive when they hit the child. Both the motorcyclist and the child were taken to the Carolinas Medical Center. The motorist was checked for a mild concussion and the child sustained broken bones.

This comes after a rash of accidents involving school children this year in North Carolina (NC). In one instance a child was killed while exiting her bus in Raleigh. Police departments statewide have been cracking down on motorists through Operation Stop Arm. Officers have been following buses on their routes and issuing citations to drivers who fail to follow school bus safety laws. North Carolina has even increased the penalty for violating these laws and drivers could now face jail time.

However, as the accident on Amber Glen Drive proves, children are not only in danger while getting on and off the school bus but walking to and from bus stops as well. Children often walk more then a block to reach their school bus and they may wait at the bus stop for a long time before being picked up. This gives a large window for children to be involved in pedestrian accidents, especially in morning rush hour traffic when drivers are hurrying from their homes to work. Drivers should always remain cautious in residential areas where children are often found on the roadways.

About the Editors: Shapiro, Cooper Lewis & Appleton is a law firm which focuses on injury and accident law and we have experience handling motorcycle accident cases. Check out this case result involving a motorcycle and a pick-up truck. Our law firm has offices in Elizabeth City, North Carolina (NC) and Virginia Beach, Virginia (VA). Our lawyers hold licenses in NC, VA, SC, WV, KY and DC. We are ready to talk to you by phone right now—we provide free initial confidential injury case consultations, so call us toll free at 1-800-752-0042. Our injury attorneys also host an extensive injury law video library on Youtube . In addition, our lawyers proudly edit the Northeast North Carolina Injuryboard, as well as the Virginia Beach Injuryboard and Norfolk Injuryboard as a pro bono public information service.

AC

While reading the paper this morning, I came across an article about a Cass County Motorcycle Accident that seriously injured a man and woman in Edwardsburg.   According to police, the biker and his passenger allegedly were struck by a sport utitlity vehicle at the intersection of M-62 and Davis Lake Street.

Both motorcycle accident victims  were rushed to Memorial Hospital in South Bend, Indiana with serious injuries. The condition of the man was not disclosed but the woman is and remains in critical condition, according to hospital staff. Police continue to investigate this accident.

I am very sorry to hear about this Michigan motorcycle accident and wish the biker and his passenger a speedy and complete recovery.

Because this Michigan motorcycle accident involved contact with another motor vehicle, the biker should be eligible for Michigan No-Fault Insurance benefits.  This will provide for payment of medical expenses, lost wages, attendant care services, and other benefits.  For a complete explanation of the rights of injured bikers in Michigan, you should request our FREE BOOK, “The Ultimate Michigan Motorcycle Accident Handbook.”

The no-fault insurance laws are complex and confusing and it is imperative that the injury victims and their family members contact a Michigan motorcycle accident lawyer as soon as possible so that the claims process can be started.  There are strict deadlines for filing claims and submitting bills and if not met, the insurance company may be legally entitled to refuse payment for these claims.

Our Michigan motorycle accident lawyers recently settled a claim for a Michigan biker who suffered significant injuries in an Oscoda motorcycle accident.  The 62 year old biker was strike by a negligent motorist and suffered serious injuries, inlcuding a fractured pelvis, fractured ribs, and fractures to his right leg and left arm that required surgery.  He has still not recovered from his injuries from the motorcycle accident that happened on September 16, 2008.

The negligent motorist had an insurance policy with liability  limits of $100,000 and his insurance company paid the entire policy for the settlement.   Our client did not have a underinsurance motorists coverage on his own policy and these were the total limits available for this motorcycle accident.  His medical, wage loss, and other benefits were paid by the negligent driver’s Michigan No-Fault Insurance company.