Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family of the motorcyclist fatally injured after an accident on Cave Creek Road and Peoria Avenue on Thursday, October 10, 2019. After investigating for several hours, police determined the driver of the vehicle that struck the motorcyclist was impaired. The motorcyclist was not wearing a helmet. The road was closed between Mescal Street and Peoria Avenue for several hours.
In Arizona in 2018, there were 2,738 motorcycle accidents, accounting for about 2% of the total accidents in the state, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation. Of those crashes, 50 were fatal and 2,110 resulted in injuries. Another 478 resulted in property damage only. Most of the accidents happened in urban areas, while about 707 happened in more rural areas. The year before, 2017, was the deadliest year for motorcyclists in a long time. The numbers were a bit lower in 2018.
There are many reasons motorcycle accidents occur. Often, drivers of other vehicles don’t see the smaller motorcycle and merge into it or fail to yield at a turn. These types of sideswipe and T-bone accidents can be very serious for the motorcyclist because they aren’t as protected as people inside vehicles. The vehicle is often much larger and heavier than the smaller motorcycle. And when drivers are impaired while operating a motor vehicle, the results can be deadly.
Here are some of the most common types of motorcycle crashes from 2018:
1557 collisions with another motor vehicle
671 motorcycles overturned
15 collided with a pedestrian
7 collided with a bicyclist
29 collided with animals
296 hit a fixed object
78 hit a non-fixed object
6 experienced a vehicle fire or explosion
Most accidents happen during daylight hours. Only a small fraction happen at night. Also, most happen during dry, calm weather conditions while only a small portion happen on wet roads. This shows that conditions can be normal and well-lit and still result in injuries and even deaths. The majority of motorcyclists involved in accidents in Arizona were males ranging in age from 18 years to 65 years, with the largest amount ranging in ages 25 to 34 years old.
Most motorcyclists involved in accidents were not under the influence of drugs or alcohol or driving while drowsy. It was also determined that the majority of motorcyclists involved in accidents took no improper action, meaning they weren’t at fault for the accident. Those that were found to be at fault were typically speeding.