On-Road Experience and Accidents

When it comes to riding motorcycles in Southwest Florida, experience matters.

It’s one of the reasons the motorcycle injury attorneys at Associates and Bruce L. Scheiner, Attorneys for the Injured, advocate for motorcycle rights and sponsor the Cape Coral Bike Night season. We have also sponsored and organized group rides over the years, as we recognize them as opportunities for young riders to gain valuable experience at the fender of veteran riders.

For more than 40 years we’ve built our reputation as advocates throughout Southwest Florida, including Fort Myers, Cape Coral, Naples, Lehigh Acres and Port Charlotte. We know most serious and fatal collisions are caused by careless or negligent motorists. However, we also know rider experience and safety training saves lives.

Published in 1981, the Hurt Report remains the most comprehensive study of motorcycle accident causation ever conducted in the United States. It found rider experience made a difference, both in terms of accident avoidance and injury severity. Among the conclusions published by the Traffic Safety Center at the University of Southern California:

• Most riders involved in collisions were self-taught. Rider education courses reduced both likelihood of collisions and severity of injuries.


• Most had less than 5 months experience on the accident motorcycle, although average street time was three years.


• Large displacement motorcycles are underrepresented in accidents but they are associated with higher injury severity when involved in accidents.

These findings reveal an important truth when it comes to riding experience and rider safety: Veteran riders may face both the hidden risk of overconfidence and the inherent risks that come with buying a newer, larger motorcycle.

In fact, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports those over age 40 are most at risk. And the death rate for riders on bikes with an engine size of 1001 cc or higher is increasing at twice the rate for those riding smaller bikes.

The lesson is that riders of all ages can benefit from safety refreshers or advanced training course like those offered through the Motorcycle Safety Foundation.

Riders who are injured in a collision with another vehicle are entitled to collect damages even in cases where a rider is partially to blame for a collision. However, we encourage you to contact an experienced motorcycle injury attorney as soon as possible.

Too often, riders are erroneously blamed. In some cases, evasive maneuvers may result in a collision for which an at-fault driver should be forced to take responsibility. In other cases, law enforcement may wrongly conclude that speeding or other riding factors contributed to an incident. These can be complex cases and are best handled by an experienced law firm.

If you or a loved one has been involved in a motorcycle accident, contact Associates and Bruce L. Scheiner, Attorneys for the Injured, for a free and confidential consultation to discuss your rights.

Motorcycle Injury Attorneys – 800-646-1210 – Free Consultation