Oakland Motorcycle Accident Lawyers

California Motorcycle Laws

Every year in the state of California, 12,000 motorcyclists are injured in an accident and approximately 500 are killed. Some research experts attribute these high accident numbers to the simple fact that California has more bikers on the road than any other state across the nation (800,000), but our Oakland car accident lawyers disagree.

California law recognizes that motorcycles are inherently different from passenger vehicles and therefore has instituted two unique laws specifically for cyclists.

Lane Sharing

Lane sharing, as the name implies, is when two vehicles going the same direction share a lane. Lane sharing can be done by a motorcycle and a passenger vehicle or two motorcycles, but is limited to bigger roads with multiple lanes. Safety experts as well as the California Department of Motor Vehicles both discourages riders from participating in sharing lanes calling it, “not safe” and “riding between stopped and moving cars in the same lane leaves the motorcyclists vulnerable.”

If you or a loved one were injured in a motorcycle accident while lane sharing, you might need to open a personal injury suit to recover your losses. To learn more about your legal rights and all the options available to you, contact our Oakland motorcycle accident attorneys now.

Lane Splitting

Another California law, lane-splitting, is when motorcyclists weave in and out of traffic between lanes at high speeds. Lane-splitting usually occurs during very slow moving traffic where the surrounding passenger vehicles are stopped. However, this does not make it a safe practice. Motorcyclists must use extreme caution and use their best judgement when moving through intersections to avoid a lane-splitting accident.

Helmet Law

The Barnes law firm also advises all bike riders to wear a helmet — in fact, California is one of the few states that requires all riders, regardless of age, to wear one. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), wearing a helmet is the number one single most effective way to save lives. If an accident were to occur and the crash victim is found without a helmet, it would be very difficult for our Oakland motorcycle accident attorneys to seek full compensation should a head injury be present.

Oakland Motorcycle Accident Causes

Because motorcycles are less visible, have higher performance capabilities, and tend to be less stable than regular automobiles it makes them especially susceptible to bring hit. Additional causes of motorcycle accidents include:

• Parts malfunction
• Hazardous weather conditions
• Vehicle merges into a bike riders lane
• Vehicle cuts off the motorcyclist
• Tailgating a motorcyclist
• Collision with telephone pole or other stationary object
• Uneven roads (due to construction or something else)

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