Motorcycle riders living in Louisiana may be able to ride year-round, unlike people in many other states. You might be able to treat your motorcycle as your primary form of transportation, which can keep your costs much lower than driving in a car.
While Louisiana does require insurance on motorcycles just like the state requires liability car insurance, the cost to insure a motorcycle is often far lower than insuring a car because the possibility of causing severe injury and property damage to others is lower. Gas costs and even the purchase price of the vehicle will be far lower than the costs would be for a four-wheeled enclosed vehicle.
Before you trade in your truck for a motorcycle, there are a few things you need to know about your crash risk for safety’s sake.
Crashes are a major concern for motorcyclists
Anyone out on the roads could get hurt in traffic, but motorcyclists are at significantly higher risk than those in bigger vehicles. A motorcycle will do far less to protect them in the event of a crash. Additionally, no matter how safe a motorcyclist tries to be, they are at risk because of other drivers.
People in enclosed vehicles frequently fail to notice motorcycles even when they are particularly loud or the driver wears visibility gear. The motorcyclist is far more likely than those in a bigger vehicle to suffer major or fatal injuries in a crash.
Safety efforts don’t seem to affect crash rates much
Researchers look at how frequently crashes occur, their causes and their consequences to find trends that can improve public safety. Motor vehicle collision rates declined for many years before rising again in 2020.
However, motorcycle crashes and fatalities have not displayed an overall downward trend in recent decades but rather have increased slightly. Fatalities have held steady at around 5,000 per year for roughly half a decade, although this figure does represent an increase from the roughly 4,500 annual fatalities reported in 2010. This implies that despite changes in overall traffic safety, motorcyclists have a relatively consistent risk on the road every time they ride.
How do you protect yourself?
There are numerous ways to keep yourself a bit safer when out for your next ride. Making sure that your motorcycle and your safety gear are in the best condition possible is a good decision. Reviewing your motorcycle insurance policy and increasing your coverage could also be a smart move.
While you could make a claim against the other driver’s coverage, it is always a possibility that the driver who hits you will not have insurance or have a really bad policy. You also need to know your legal rights in case you need to that someone to court. Learning defensive driving techniques, keeping up-to-date on crash trends and always staying alert can help you reduce your overall risk for a motorcycle wreck in Louisiana.