Having been quarantined the last few months due to Covid-19, it’s understandable Rhode Islanders are anxious to get outside and back on the roads again. Traffic has already started to pick up and with the warmer weather, motorcycles are again prevalent on the streets and highways of Rhode Island. Unfortunately, motorcycle collisions also rise as the weather warms up and as Personal Injury Attorney David Tapalian has seen first-hand, when a motorcyclist comes into physical contact with another motor vehicle or roadway object, it often results in significant or fatal injuries. Last week, a Rhode Island man died in a motorcycle crash on the Route 146 South off-ramp in Lincoln when his motorcycle struck a curbed island in the road. Only a week prior, a Cranston man was killed in a motorcycle collision in Johnston on Route 6, Hartford Ave, after colliding with a pickup truck. Already two tragic motorcycle fatalities in the Ocean State and summer has just begun.
Motorcycle Crashes Surge in Summer Months
Across the U.S., statistics show motorcycle fatalities typically spike between the months of June and September. Rhode Island alone reported 18 motorcycle accident fatalities in 2018, a sharp increase from prior years. Riding a motorcycle is inherently riskier than driving a motor vehicle, like a car, truck, or SUV. Not only are motorcycles less stable when there’s a need to brake quickly or swerve, they are less visible to other drivers. When a motorcycle is involved in a crash, the rider is much more likely to be severely injured, or killed, due to the lack of protection that a typical car or truck would provide. As a personal injury attorney in Rhode Island, David also sees an uptick in car accidents in the summer months, frequently due to negligence and reckless operation, like drunk driving and speeding. It’s critical that vehicle operators, on two-wheels or four-wheels, are extra vigilant about their own driving and keep an eye out for other motorists on the road.