Motorcycle Crash Bars Can Prevent Injuries

Those who decide to ride motorcycles in Florida should be sure to become familiarized with the safety measures they can take to prevent injury in the event of an accident. One of these measures is installing motorcycle crash bars on your motorcycle. Though not legally required, they are relatively easy to install and can go a long way towards preventing significant property damage and serious injuries.

Motorcycle Crash Bars Can Prevent Property Damage

Because motorcycles only have two wheels, they almost always fall to one side during a crash, although which side will depend on the location and force of the impact. This can cause a lot of property damage, as well as significant injuries. To help prevent these kinds of problems, many riders install motorcycle crash bars on their vehicles. These are made of sturdy pieces of metal that attach to both sides of the lower frame of a motorcycle and extend sideways. Crash bars serve two main purposes, the first of which is to protect the motorcycle from damage if it tips over. When a motorcycle crashes, it almost always ends up skidding on its side, causing severe damage that sometimes makes the motorcycle unusable. Crash bars help prevent this kind of damage, while also protecting the fuel tank and engine of the motorcycle, which, if left unshielded, could become punctured in a crash, resulting in a much higher risk of fire or explosion.

Motorcycle Crash Bars Prevent Serious Injuries

The second main purpose of motorcycle crash bars is to prevent serious injuries. Among the most common injuries suffered by riders is lower leg trauma, which can occur when a motorcycle falls over, crushing a rider’s legs. The tibia and fibula have proven to be particularly prone to injury. In fact, injuries to these bones are thought to account for nearly 95 percent of motorcycle accident leg injuries. Thigh and knee injuries are also common, as are hip injuries, with dislocations accounting for nearly 40 percent of the latter. Bars can also help keep riders from becoming crushed or trapped beneath their motorcycles, which in turn can be instrumental in preventing crush injuries, like organ damage and amputations.

All of these injuries are expensive to diagnose and to treat and sometimes result in permanent disability, which can have life changing repercussions for injured parties. Fortunately, accident victims who can prove that someone else’s negligence was the cause of their crash, could be entitled to compensation for these, and other losses.

Set Up a Free Consultation Today

Although many motorcycle manufacturers have started installing crash bars on their products, they aren’t actually legally required. The benefits of having crash bars, however, are enormous, as they help prevent significant property damage and more importantly, potentially catastrophic injuries. Unfortunately, even riders who take all of the proper precautions could end up suffering a motorcycle accident-related injury, in which case he or she may be entitled to compensatory damages. Call the dedicated Florida motorcycle accident lawyers at Boone & Davis for an assessment of your own legal options today. You can reach us at 954-566-9919 or via online message.

Sources:

crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/Api/Public/ViewPublication/810982

one.nhtsa.gov/people/INJURY/PEDBIMOT/MOTORCYCLE/motorcycle03/index.htm