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A Fort Myers motorcycle accident attorney said changing lanes causes many accidents, particularly those involving motorcycles, and is one of the top causes of motor vehicle accidents in the United States.

On August 16, 2020, the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) reported at least one person died after a motorcycle and Lee County pick-up truck crash at 8:00 p.m. at Daniels Parkway and Gateway Boulevard. The 56-year-old Fort Myers pick-up truck driver was heading west on Daniels Parkway in the left lane. A 30-year-old Lehigh Acres motorcyclist was also traveling west on Daniels Parkway but in the center lane. Both drivers were approaching Gateway Boulevard. The pick-up truck driver changed lanes and entered the center lane in front of the motorcyclist. The motorcycle collided with the left rear of the truck, causing the motorcyclist to fall off his bike and slide to final rest in the grassy median barrier of Daniels Parkway. The motorcyclist tragically died at the scene.

Lane-changing accidents are often catastrophic because the other vehicle(s) involved in the accident are not expecting the lane-change and are in a vulnerable position. This leaves them unable to react to avoid an accident.

ScienceDirect.com published an abstract from “Factors affecting lane change crashes,” authored by Mohamed Shawky, International Association of Traffic and Safety Sciences (IATSS): “This study aims to investigate the contributing factors affecting the occurrence of crashes while lane-changing maneuvers of drivers. Two different data sets were used from the same drivers' population. The first data set was collected from the traffic police crash reports and the second data set was collected through a questionnaire survey that was conducted among 429 drivers. Two different logistic regression models were developed by employing the two sets of the collected data. The results of the crash occurrence model showed that the drivers' factors (gender, nationality, and years of experience in driving), location and surrounding condition factors (non-junction locations, light and road surface conditions), and roads feature (road type, number of lanes and speed limit value) are the significant variables that affected the occurrence of lane-change crashes. About 57.2% of the survey responders committed that different sources of distractions were the main reason for their sudden or unsafe lane change including 21.2% was due to mobile usage. The drivers' behavior model results showed that drivers who did sudden lane change are more likely to be involved in traffic crashes with 2.53 times than others. The drivers who look towards the side mirrors and who look out the windows before lane-change intention have less probability to be involved in crashes by 4.61 and 3.85 times than others, respectively. Another interesting finding is that drivers who reported that they received enough training about safe lane change maneuvering during issuing the driving licenses are less likely to be involved in crashes by 2.06 times than other drivers.”

The Department of Motor Vehicles says, “Before changing lanes, check for drivers trying to pass you who may be trying to enter the same lane as you. Look over your shoulder to check your blind spot. You should never attempt to pass or otherwise change lanes in an intersection.”

“Generally, a vehicle that enters a lane of traffic is at fault for any accidents resulting from his or her entrance into that lane. Should you or a loved one be injured in an accident, please contact Spivey Law Firm, Personal Injury Attorneys, P.A. after seeking medical attention. Our firm is available to assist you 24/7, and there are no costs or attorney fees until we receive a monetary recovery for you,” said Fort Myers Motorcycle Accident Lawyer Randall Spivey.

Fort Myers Motorcycle Accident Lawyer  Randall L. Spivey is a Board Certified Trial Attorney – the highest recognition for competence bestowed by the Florida Bar and a distinction earned by just one percent (1%) of Florida attorneys.  He has handled over 2,000 personal injury and wrongful death cases throughout Florida.  For a free and confidential consultation to discuss your legal rights, contact  Spivey Law Firm, Personal Injury Attorneys, P.A., in Lee County at 239.337.7483 or toll-free at 1.888.477.4839, or by email to Randall@SpiveyLaw.com.  Visit SpiveyLaw.com for more information.  You can contact Spivey Law Firm, Personal Injury Attorneys, P.A. in Charlotte County at 941.764.7748 and in Collier County at 239.793.7748.