A man was killed and a woman seriously injured when a motorcycle crashed into an SUV that turned across its path near the intersection of Vista Avenue and Cassia Street in Boise. The crash happened shortly after midnight going into Saturday morning, August 12. The driver of the SUV was not injured.

Bikers at a Disadvantage

This type of crash—when another driver doesn’t see a motorcycle or turns into a biker’s path after misjudging the speed or distance—is unfortunately one of the greatest risks to motorcyclists. It’s been known since the late 1970s that this perception problem is behind many motorcycle crashes, and the left-hand-turn issue is one of the major causes.

The comprehensive 1981 Hurt Report (named after its author, traffic safety researcher Harry Hurt) found that the largest share of collisions could be blamed on drivers who didn’t see motorcycles or saw them too late. That report found that the most frequent configuration in a motorcycle collision was another vehicle taking a left turn across a motorcycle’s path.

Despite being more than three decades old, the Hurt Report still stands as the most detailed analysis of motorcycle crashes. More recent research continues to reach the same conclusions: A 2013 Florida Department of Transportation study supported both the perception and the left-hand-turn problem and also found that the other vehicle is responsible in about 60 percent of crashes involving motorcycles, a rate similar to that reported by Hurt.

Spike in Idaho Traffic Deaths

Bikers always have it rough. They’re nearly twice as likely as other drivers to be in a single-vehicle crash, they’re about five times as likely to suffer a serious injury compared to a passenger car occupant, and their risk of a fatal accident is as much as twenty-six times higher than it is for those in other vehicles. But in Idaho this summer, things have been especially deadly.

Through late July, the state had seen sixty-two motor vehicle crash deaths, including at least fifteen motorcycle fatalities. You don’t need to do the math—that’s slightly more than one every day over an eight-week period, with just about two bikers per week.

Just a few years ago, Idaho saw nearly that many motorcycle deaths in an entire year: There were only seventeen for all of 2011. In 2015, there were twenty-seven motorcycle crash deaths statewide. It’s hard to believe that we’ve seen more than half of that in only two months this year.

Boise Motorcycle Accident Lawyer

If you’ve been the victim of a motorcycle accident, you need a knowledgeable and experienced attorney on your side as you work to ensure proper compensation for your injuries from those who caused them.

The team at Craig Swapp & Associates understands the important details of motorcycle accident law and will be focused on making sure you reach the best possible settlement. Call us today at 1-800-404-9000 or fill out the form below to schedule a complimentary consultation to discuss your case.

Written By: Ryan Swapp     Legal Review By: Craig Swapp