Three Ways To Prevent A New Haven Motorcycle Accident Around Town

October 23, 2023
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Rightfully so, we spend a lot of time talking about the dangers of riding your motorcycle on the highways that pass through the Elm City because they can be quite dangerous places to ride, but it’s also important to spend time thinking about how dangerous it can be to ride through the city, on city streets. A recent accident in Meriden between a car and a motorcycle which wound up killing the motorcyclist is a good time to focus on the dangers that traveling through city streets on your motorcycle can present.

No one ever plans to get into a New Haven motorcycle accident, but without proper information regarding how to ride safely, there can be dangers around every turn in the city. Without a clear understanding of the rules of the road and the things you need to do to keep yourself safe you could be putting yourself at risk every time you hop on your bike. In fact, the things you can do to keep yourself safe when riding through the Elm City are quite simple.

Before you even head out for a ride, the gear you wear and bring with you can be the difference between getting injured severely or walking away from an accident with only a mild injury. It is critical, while not required by law, that you wear a helmet. Similar to a seat belt in a car, wearing a helmet is the single best way to help you prevent serious injuries when riding a motorcycle. Only trailing helmet slightly in the “keep you safe from injury” race is proper protective clothing like leather jacket, gloves and pants to protect you from seriously injuring your skin in the event that you do get into an accident. Your skin is your single largest organ in your body and if you do significant damage to it you may be facing long-term issues that could be quite severe. Wearing the proper protective clothing can do wonders for keeping you safe even if you do get into an accident.

While accidents can happen any time you get on your motorcycle and are riding through the city, there are also some things you can do while you’re riding to keep yourself safe. Here are a couple of rules of the road to keep in mind the next time you’re riding your motorcycle in the Elm City.

1.) Keep your speed to the speed limit. It can be tempting, especially early in the morning or late at night when the roads are not as congested, to throttle up your ride and go racing through the city streets. It looks fun in the movies after all, but it could be deadly. When you’re on your motorcycle, one wrong turn at a high speed can turn your fun ride through the city into a significant injury that could leave you impaired or even dead. Following the speed limit at anytime of the day is imperative to your safety and if you don’t do it, you could be putting yourself at risk.

2.) Always follow posted traffic signals. Riding through the streets of a city can require you to be even more locked in then you would be when riding on the highway. While you should never ride your motorcycle in a distracted state, when you are riding through city streets there are a lot of traffic signals to pay attention to which will guide you safely throughout the city. You will need to pay attention to pedestrians crossing the street at many different intersections, some roads will be one-way roads, some turn signals will allow a right turn on red, others won’t and so on. There are many different traffic signals that you need to be aware of when you’re riding your motorcycle throughout the city. If you pay special attention to them all, you will go a long way in avoiding an accident.

3.) Stay visible. This final one is particularly important in the early morning hours or the late evening hours, but it can be critical all day long. If you are not highly visible to the cars and other motorcycles that you are sharing the road with you can put yourself at risk. Making sure all of your headlights and turn signals are functional on your bike can be critical to your visibility. Also, staying in your lane and following the flow of traffic is critical to your visibility as well. If you weave in and out of traffic where there is no lane for you to do so you could be riding in a blind spot and this could put you at great risk.

Riding your motorcycle through the city is a great way to get around. In fact, the Elm City is a great city to be on your motorcycle, but if you’re not following certain rules and safety tips you could be putting yourself at grave risk of getting into a New Haven motorcycle accident. Accidents do happen and they can be deadly if you’re not protecting yourself, so be aware of the steps you can take before and while you’re riding so you don’t put yourself or someone else at risk of serious injury while you’re enjoying your ride through the city.

If you do become injured as the result of a motorcycle accident you may need to speak with someone. Contact our office and one of our experienced attorneys will review your situation and work with you to help protect your long-term interests.