Motorcycle and Scooter Accidents on the Rise

The rates of Motorcycle and Scooter accidents have been increasing so rapidly that local Police Departments are getting involved in order to promote safety tips. In fact, the Ocala Police Department was recently awarded a state grant of $24,000 in order to pay police officers overtime, with the sole purpose of enforcing motorcycle safety laws.

The following image depicts the increasing motorcycle dangers in Ocala, Florida.

As seen above, the total motorcycle crashes have increased each year since 2015. By law, Florida riders and passengers are not required to wear helmets, which is a big safety concern for the officers that respond to these accidents.

Studies show the majority of the time, it is actually the fault of the car, not the motorcyclist. However, the motorcyclist is the one who almost always suffers the more severe injuries.

While in Ocala, we see an increase in motorcycle accidents they have actually decreased in Gainesville, with the scooter accident rate increasing.

Gainesville being a predominant college town explains why the influx of scooter accidents have increased, and will most likely continue increasing if students do not start taking their safety more seriously.

According to Gainesville police officers, the largest issues on both motorcycles and scooters are aggressive driving, speeding, switching lanes illegally and the lack of helmets.

Gainesville takes motorcyclist/scooter safety very serious as well, and even offers a “SMART Motorcycle Safety Course” which is available to the public for free on Saturdays and Sunday to advocate for safe driving.

Another company that sells scooters, Scooter 4 Less, did their part by giving out 300 free helmets in August of 2017 to any customer who signed a petition agreeing to wear their helmets while driving.

If you or a loved one have been involved in a motorcycle or scooter accident, call the lawyers at Kaire and Heffernan and schedule a free consultation today.

Samantha Heffernan