Motorcycle Accidents vs. Car Accidents: What’s Different?

Some of the most important differences between car accidents and motorcycle accidents involve injury severity, fatality risk, common crash causes, visibility, and the insurance claims process. A personal injury lawyer can help an injured person document the accident, communicate with insurance companies, and pursue appropriate compensation.

Although car accidents and motorcycle accidents both involve motor vehicles and occur on public roads, they differ in several major ways. These differences can also affect the personal injury claims that follow.

Multani Law Group represents people injured in motor vehicle accidents throughout Washington. From its Kent office, the firm helps personal injury victims understand their options, communicate with insurance companies, and navigate the claims process.

Differences Between Motorcycle and Car Accidents

Motorcyclists generally have far less physical protection than people traveling inside passenger vehicles. A motorcycle does not provide an enclosed frame, airbags, seat belts, or many of the other safety systems commonly found in cars.

During a collision, a rider may be thrown from the motorcycle or make direct contact with another vehicle, the road, or a fixed object. As a result, motorcycle crashes can produce serious and potentially life-changing injuries.

Common injuries associated with motorcycle accidents include:

• Broken bones
• Lacerations
• Amputations
• Road rash
• Traumatic brain injuries
• Disfigurement
• Spinal cord injuries and paralysis
• Internal injuries
• Burns

Passenger vehicles, by comparison, may contain safety features such as airbags, seat belts, anti-lock brakes, cameras, collision-warning systems, and reinforced passenger compartments. These features cannot prevent every injury, but they can provide occupants with additional protection during a crash.

People injured in either type of collision may benefit from speaking with a Washington motorcycle accident lawyer or a Kent car accident and personal injury lawyer about their legal options.

One of the most significant differences between motorcycle and car accidents is the risk of a fatal injury.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the motorcyclist fatality rate per vehicle mile traveled in 2023 was nearly 28 times the fatality rate for passenger-car occupants.

Motorcycles are smaller and lighter than most passenger vehicles. Riders also lack the protective structure surrounding occupants of cars and trucks. These factors can make motorcyclists especially vulnerable when a collision occurs.

• Speeding
• Distracted driving
• Impaired driving
• Unsafe lane changes
• Following too closely
• Failure to yield
• Inattention at intersections

However, visibility can play a particularly important role in motorcycle accidents. Because motorcycles have a narrower profile than cars and trucks, drivers may fail to notice an approaching rider or may misjudge the motorcycle’s speed and distance.

A particularly dangerous situation occurs when a driver turns left across the path of an approaching motorcycle. Research published by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety found that crashes in which another vehicle turned left in front of an oncoming motorcycle represented 26% of fatal two-vehicle motorcycle crashes studied from 2017 through 2021.

These accidents may happen when a driver:

• Does not see the motorcycle
• Misjudges its speed
• Miscalculates the available distance
• Turns without yielding the right of way

Lane splitting occurs when a motorcyclist travels between lanes or rows of vehicles. Washington law generally prohibits motorcyclists from operating between lanes of traffic or between adjacent rows of vehicles.

Traveling between vehicles can also leave a rider with limited space to react when a driver changes lanes, opens a door, or moves unexpectedly.

A motorcycle collision may also involve a fixed object such as a guardrail, tree, sign, or utility pole.

Insurance companies may attempt to portray a motorcyclist as careless, aggressive, or willing to take unnecessary risks. A rider’s choice to operate a motorcycle does not establish fault for an accident.

Liability should instead be determined using evidence such as:

• Police reports
• Photographs and video
• Witness statements
• Vehicle damage
• Medical documentation
• Road and weather conditions
• Applicable traffic laws
• Expert analysis when necessary

A personal injury attorney can help gather and preserve evidence while responding to arguments raised by an insurance company.

Because motorcycle injuries can be severe, a claim may involve substantial medical expenses, time away from work, rehabilitation, future treatment, disability, disfigurement, or long-term changes to the injured person’s life.

However, a motorcycle accident claim is not automatically worth more than a car accident claim. The potential value of either type of claim depends on factors such as:

• Who was responsible
• The severity and permanence of the injuries
• Past and anticipated medical expenses
• Lost income and reduced earning capacity
• Available insurance coverage
• The effect of the injuries on daily life
• The strength of the supporting evidence

Passenger-vehicle crashes occur more frequently in total because cars, SUVs, and other passenger vehicles make up a much larger share of vehicles and miles traveled.

However, motorcyclists experience a disproportionately high risk of fatal injury. Motorcyclists accounted for approximately 15% of all traffic deaths in 2023, despite motorcycles representing a much smaller portion of registered vehicles and total vehicle miles traveled.

These statistics do not mean every motorcyclist will be involved in a collision. They demonstrate why riders and passenger-vehicle drivers must remain attentive, allow adequate space, and watch carefully for one another.

Whether you were injured in a car accident or a motorcycle accident, the aftermath can involve medical treatment, missed work, property damage, and difficult communications with insurance companies.

Multani Law Group represents injured people in Kent and throughout Washington. The firm can evaluate the circumstances of an accident, explain the available legal options, and help pursue compensation supported by the evidence.

Contact Multani Law Group to request a consultation with a personal injury attorney.