As the weather gets warmer and the roads drier, so the time of year approaches where the leathers are dusted off, a new shine put on the helmet and the motorbike is dusted off ready for another year of glorious riding in the sun.

With it though comes the inherent danger posed when on the road with only two wheels. Whether it is the latest sports Yamaha R1, a tourer like the KTM 1290 Super Duke or a classic such as the BSA A7, no doubt at one time or another a bike rider has come across the car driver who either doesn’t see them, or worse, sees them and does all they can to make things difficult.

Often collisions can be avoided by a rider’s own awareness but there is only so much that can be done by a rider to protect themselves. For the unlucky ones injuries can be severe.  Serious injuries to the head and limbs, permanent disability or, unfortunately, death,  are all far more likely for those who ride a motorbike than for those who are driving a car. Statistics from Think! suggest that motorcyclists are around 38 times more likely to be killed than those driving a car and MCN suggests that recent years have seen over 5,000 serious accidents per year with around 330 of those riders being killed per year (statistics for 2013 and 2014).

If you are injured as a result of a motorcycle accident then contact the specialist personal injury team at Trethowans who will be able to advise you as to how to bring a claim.

Author: James Gleisner, Trethowans LLP