The appeal of riding has attracted more and more people, with bikers coming in all ages and from all backgrounds. But the increasing number of motorcycles on the road has also lead to a rise in the number of accidents, injuries, and deaths.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), A total of 4,985 motorcyclists died in crashes in 2018. That’s more than double the number of motorcycle fatalities in 1997 and accounted for 14 percent of all motor vehicle crash deaths in 2018. One hundred sixty bikers were killed on Illinois roads in 2017 alone, according to the Illinois Department of transportation.
In addition to the thousands of lives lost, hundreds of thousands more bikers suffer catastrophic injuries in crashes each year. It’s easy to understand why motorcycle accidents take such a heavy toll. Helmets and other protective gear are often no match for high speeds, unforgiving surfaces, and hard impacts. That is why motorcycle accidents so frequently cause such severe, life-altering, or permanent injuries as: