Any time a motorcyclist gets on their motorcycle, they are putting themselves in potential risk of a serious injury. No matter how good of a rider you may think you are, there are negligent drivers who can cause significant problems for you on the road.

As with any situation, it's imperative to keep yourself safe on the road. For a motorcyclist, this means recognizing potential dangers and working to protect yourself at all costs. Here are some safety tips you should follow at all times.

1. Have Proper Safety Gear

All motorcyclists should have proper gear to keep themselves safe should an accident occur. This includes a helmet, protective clothing, and even potentially knee and elbow pads. Some motorcyclists even have chest and back plates for added protection in the event of an accident.

Motorcycle accidents happen quite often, and when they do, they typically involve the motorcyclist and at least one other vehicle. What happens, though, when the only reason the accident occurs is out of the control of the parties directly involved in the crash?

This is something that can happen when product defects come into play and put those on the road in significant danger. Even motorcycles can experience defective products, and the rider can lose control and crash into another vehicle. Similarly, if another vehicle has a defective product, they can crash into the motorcyclist, causing significant harm.

Types of Product Defects

Product defects can come in many forms. For motorcycles, they may often involve the brakes and/or tires. Any problem involving your brakes or tires can result in you losing control of your motorcycle, such as a blowout or brake failure and being unable to stop.

In a large majority of motorcycle accidents, it is another motorist who is considered liable. Of course, motorcyclists understand the various risks they take getting on a motorcycle, but it doesn't change the respect that motorists must pay to those on two wheels in an effort to keep them safe.

When these respects are put aside, motorists can do some things that put others in danger—including motorcyclists. Knowing the ways in which motorists may be considered negligent is important, especially when you need to take legal action to pursue compensation from the liable party.

Speeding Through Intersections

Left-turn accidents are some of the most common motorcycle accidents that can occur and are often the result of one party speeding. Sometimes, this means the motorist is either trying to turn left in front of a motorcycle, or they're speeding through an intersection when the motorcycle is trying to turn.

Motorcyclists are often big fans of the freedom they experience on the roads. For many, the joy of being without a surrounding frame is enough to get them on a motorcycle without a worry in the world. However, it's this same freedom that leaves all motorcyclists susceptible to potential harm when there is negligence involved.

Far too often, motorists fail to pay the respect to motorcyclists necessary to keep them safe. This can lead to a significant accident and subsequent injury. With regards to motorcycle accidents and the potential of ejection, these injuries can often be considered catastrophic when the damages are significant and require long-term care.

Understanding some of the catastrophic injuries that you can sustain, as well as how motorcycle accidents can cause them, is important to pursuing legal action after the fact. Here are some of the most common catastrophic injuries motorcyclists are subject to in a crash.

(Corpus Christi, TX) – A Nueces County jury has entered a $25 million judgment for a man and a woman who were both injured when an 18-wheeler failed to negotiate a curve properly and allowed a portion of its trailer to move into the oncoming lane, striking the motorcycle the couple was riding.

Theresa Gamez suffered traumatic brain and other injuries in the crash March 2, 2013, on Highway 188, a narrow, undeveloped road in San Patricio County in Texas. The award was against Dillon Transport, Inc., which owned the rig, and Kenneth Jennings, the driver.

“This was very much a case about a trucking company's failure to ensure their drivers were using safe routes,” said attorney Billy Edwards. Edwards and Angie Beltran, both partners in the Edwards Law Firm of Corpus Christi, represented Ms. Gamez. “Because the driver took an unsafe short-cut, two people lost what had been bright, productive futures, and are now permanently disabled.”