Distracted Driving and Immediate Memory Loss Ups Rate of Biker Deaths
Between 4,300 to 4,800 motorcyclists are killed annually in accidents across the United States. Thousands more sustain injuries in bike accidents, including highly serious and even debilitating injuries. A considerable percentage of these accidents involve automobile drivers colliding with bikers. Of that number, an alarming number of motorcyclists are killed or injured at intersections when car drivers without the right of way collide with bikers. These are some of the most frequent types of collisions that a motorcycle accident lawyer faces on behalf of a client.
Nottingham University in the United Kingdom has just released a comprehensive study on short-term memory and automobile collisions with motorcycles. The results of the study are stunning but may nonetheless provide strategies that will make roadways safer for bikers.
Impact of Short-Term Memory on Car Driver–Biker Collisions
A common cause of automobile-motorcycle collisions in the United States is a car driver who is distracted. This reality led researchers at Nottingham University to take a look at short-term memory and its impact on motoring accidents, particularly those involving an automobile colliding with a motorcycle. These types of accidents oftentimes occur when a car driver inappropriately enters an intersection and collides with a biker. They also occur when an automobile driver changes improperly changes lanes and strikes a motorcyclist.
The human brain is something of a mystery in some ways. The Nottingham University research study illustrates the workings of the brain. Researchers learned that a car driver who sees an approaching automobile actually will forget immediately that the vehicle is in the zone 15 percent of the time. In these instances, drivers report to having no recollection of seeing the oncoming automobile.
The statistics involving a driver remembering seeing an approaching car are surprising to many people. With that said, the study presented evidence about the rate at which a car driver forgets to see an approaching or oncoming biker which can fairly be called utterly shocking. Researchers report that upwards to 75 percent of car drivers immediately forget to see an approaching motorcycle. As a consequence, an automobile driver will enter an intersection or make a lane change without regard to a motorcycle being on a collision course because of a motorist’s failure to remember what was seen only an instant earlier.
Short-Term Memory Risks and Distracted Driving
In light of the shocking results of this research study, the dangers associated with inattentive driving become of even greater concern. When an automobile driver is already predisposed to forget about the presence of a motorcyclist due to the operation of short-term memory, the addition of some type of driver distraction truly makes automobiles highly dangerous to bikers. Examples of driver distractions include texting, talking on a mobile, eating or drinking, checking a GPS, adjusting a radio, and other unnecessary activities that take a motorist’s attention off of the road and surrounding motorists and bikers.
Biker’s Legal Rights Following a Collision Caused by Distracted Driver
As mentioned previously, when a negligent motorist – including a distracted driver – collides with a motorcyclist, a biker is likely to sustain very serious and even fatal injuries. The Doan Law Firm's legal team includes experienced motorcycle accident lawyers with the background and tenacity necessary to protect the legal rights of an injured biker (or the family of a motorcyclist killed because of a negligent distracted driver).
A nationwide law practice, our firm has offices from coast to coast in the United States. We can schedule an appointment with you at any time that is convenient for you. In addition to meeting at our offices, we can schedule an appointment at your home, the hospital, or via a virtual consultation online. You can reach out to us any time, day or night, 365 days a year at (800) 349-0000.
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