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Florida's winding and scenic highways are perfect routes for motorcycle enthusiasts, but auto accident lawyers in Fort Myers say that the increasing number of collisions involving motorcycles highlights the need for safety. More than 4,000 people die in motorcycle accidents every year. Recent studies have shown that the blame for these accidents is distributed among both motorcyclists and automobile drivers alike.

According to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, in 2010, 3 percent of the over 235,000 accidents on state roads involved motorcycles, and 5 percent of the motorcycle operators involved in these reported crashes were killed. In addition, motorcyclists and their passengers made up for 16 percent of all fatalities in vehicle collisions. Motorcyclists who were not wearing safety helmets had a death rate 11 percent higher than those who used them. Moreover, the death rate for passengers who were not wearing a helmet shot up to 55 percent higher than those wearing a safety helmet. In 2008, Florida enacted a law that required all motorcycle drivers to take a 15 hour comprehensive course for riders. Since then, the number of motorcycle accidents that occur annually in the state has decreased by 22 percent.

Several Florida legislators passed a law in 2002, which repealed the requirement for all motorcyclists over the age of 21 to wear helmets, which has led to an increase in head trauma and other crash-related injuries. Motorcyclists say that drivers in "cages"—cars, trucks, and other covered vehicles, are more responsible for these statistics. Motorists driving cars and trucks often fail to yield the right of way to motorcyclists, causing many of Florida's motorcycle accidents, auto accident lawyers in Fort Myers say.

Chanyoung Lee, senior researcher at the University of South Florida's Center for Urban Transportation Research, studied the last decade of Florida's motorcycle accidents. His research showed that 60 percent of all accidents occur at the fault of four-wheel vehicle drivers, usually when the driver fails to notice the smaller profile of a motorcycle. "Many accidents with trucks and vehicles involve negligent drivers who turn left in front of the motorcycle and fail to yield the right of way to the motorcyclist. Crashes often involve other vehicles making a left turn, pulling in front of motorcycles that are going straight," says Board Certified Trial Attorney, Randall L. Spivey.

However, Lee's research also indicated that motorcycle drivers have a significantly higher number of accidents, more than 30 percent of all motorcycle crashes, in which they crash on their own. In studying severe and fatal crashes, Lee found that the statistics for single-vehicle crashes involving only motorcycles jumped to 50 percent. These single-vehicle accidents usually occur when bikers fail to slow down while navigating sharp turns and curves in the road.

 Although motorcycles account for only 2 percent of all registered vehicles, statistics across America show that motorcycle drivers suffer a higher number of fatalities than drivers of cars, trucks, and busses. Several Share the Road initiatives have increased motorcycle awareness in Florida, but Fort Myers accident attorneys stress the need for further safety measures. Safe driving practices keep riders and passengers safe, and eliminate some of the danger that motorcyclists face on the road.

The motorcycle accident lawyers at Spivey Law Firm, Personal Injury Attorneys, P.A., based in Fort Myers, represent drivers who were injured or have lost a loved one in a motorcycle accident.