Motorcycle accidents continue to rise in the seven-county Chicago area — up 22 percent in just two years, according to the Sun-Times News Group.
That’s more than 7 Chicago-area motorcycle accidents a day — all year long — or more than a dozen a day during the five-month riding season. Most motorcycle accidents result in personal injuries to the rider involved.
The Chicago motorcycle accident lawyers at Abels & Annes urge car drivers to remain vigilant about the dangers to motorcycle riders through the remainder of the summer riding season.
Inexperienced drivers who aren’t used to seeing so many cycles on the road have helped push the number of motorcycle crashes in the seven-county region to 2,663 last year, a Chicago Sun-Times survey has found.
That’s up 22 percent from 2,180 just two years earlier, according to the Illinois Department of Transportation.
Kane, DuPage and Kendall counties are among the few counties that have not seen a steady increase in crashes. Motorcycles in Kane and DuPage counties went up between 2006 and 2007, then down in 2008.
As we reported in a blog last month, fatality statistics are sobering for motorcycle riders across the country.
Nationwide, motorcycle fatalities increased for the 11th straight year and accounted for 14 percent of all traffic fatalities, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
A total of 5,290 riders were killed in 2008, compared to 5,174 in 2007. The increase came in a year when federal statistics revealed a steep drop in virtually every other category, including a 13 percent decline in motor vehicle fatalities.
Our summer blog on motorcycle safety can be found by clicking here
Click here to read our post on 10 things all drivers should know about motorcycles.
If you or someone you love has been injured or killed in a motorcycle accident, call the Chicago injury attorneys at Abels & Annes for a free consultation to discuss your rights.