After 30 years as a motorcycle attorney, I've seen plenty of left hand turn accidents, so it was natural for me to take a look at the limited information in the press, and see if some preliminary conclusions could be drawn. The Roethlisberger motorcycle accident is typical of car/motorcycle accidents all over the country. Review of scene photographs show that Roethlisberger was driving a large sportbike with custom exhausts (not the Harley Davidson shown by some news sources), and that he hit at a significant rate of speed, possibly around 35 mph. The impact was severe, judging from the damage to the vehicles, and that fact that there was oil on the ground. The oil indicates that the case of the motorcycle’s engine was broken by the impact. Available photographs do not show skidding, nor markings by police investigators for use in measuring skid marks. This, taken with the damage to the vehicle, indicates that he was unable to do any braking prior to impact. BACKGROUND
The Hurt Report, a study of motorcycle accidents, found that most motorcycle accidents involve unlicensed riders, alcohol use, or excessive speed. Of the remaining accidents, the majority involve a car that violates the motorcyclist’s right of way. This problem is serious and common enough that several states are considering or passing legislation that would require driver awareness training as part of any driver training course, and that would increase the penalties for conviction of a right of way violation resulting in injury or death. Wisconsin and Oklahoma were the most recent states to pass such legislation. Louisiana is currently considering it. MOTORCYCLE HELMET USE Motorcyle helmet use remains quite controversial. While it seems obvious that some of Roethlisberger ‘s injuries, such as the wound to the back of the head, would not have occurred had he been wearing a helmet, only a full face helmet would have had any effect on the teeth and jaw injuries. Motorcycle helmets are only designed to provide full protection in a 23 mile per hour impact. Further, there is current controversy about how hard the shell should be, and what is the best configuration for the softer liner inside the shell. Roethlisberger’s knee injuries are likewise typical of this type of accident. The most frequently injured area of a motorcyclist involved in an accident is the lower leg. The rider interacts with the motorcycle through the seat, the knees on the side of the motorcycle, the footpegs, and, of course, the hand grips. Commonly, when a motorcycle hits the side of a car, the motorcycle’s rear end goes sideways upon impact, and this puts tremendous stress on the rider’s knees. Additionally, if the rider instinctively tries to fight the movement of the motorcycle and/or keep it upright, the knees are torqued. Lastly, if the rider’s body flies up, the knees can strike either the motorcycle or the car. Roethlisberger was thrown off the motorcycle in the accident, so the knee injuries are not surprising. PHYSICS OF ACCIDENTS INVOLVING CARS CUTTING OFF MOTORCYCLES
On first glance, it would seem that a motorcycle rider would have a reasonable chance of avoiding a left turning car. After all, motorcycles are fast and not very wide. Can’t they go around the car? However, before the motorcyclist can react to the car’s intrusion into the path of the motorcycle, the cyclist needs to identify the action of the other vehicle. This may take a second or more. After the time for perception of the danger, the motorcyclist must then react. Minimal reaction time is three-quarters of a second. However, the motorcyclist must adjust front and rear brakes. If the motorcyclist simply jams the rear brake (controlled by his foot), and does not use the front brake sufficiently (controlled by the hand), the motorcycle will go into a slide. Roethlisberger appears to have been upright at impact. The bike rider must then do a mental calculation as to whether, based on the relative speeds of the vehicles, he will be able to cut in front of the car, or go behind it. This calculation must include an assumption about what the driver of the car will do should the driver ever realize the motorcycle is there. Of course, after the decision is made, and the motorcyclist reacts, that is when the motorcycle first can begin braking, which will take time before the motorcycle either comes to a stop, or begins its swerve to avoid collision. One other factor to remember, is that until the car begins its turn, the motorcycle and the car are both going towards each other, so the closing speed between the vehicles is the total of both speeds. In other words, if the car is going 25, and the motorcycle is also going 25, the closing speed is 50. Feet per second equates roughly to one and one-half times the miles per hour, so a closing speed of 50 miles per hour means that he vehicles get 75 feet close to each other every second. For vehicles traveling 25 miles per hour, there will always be a collision if the motorcycle is less than 112 feet from the car when it cuts in front. Looking at the post accident photographs that have been made available, it appears that Roethlisberger was pretty well nailed by the left-turning vehicle, and that little could have been done to avoid the collision. INTERESTING FACTOID Although a number of news sources have published a photo of Roethlisberger on a cruiser style Harley Davidson, this is not the bike that was involved in the accident, which was more of a sport bike than the Harley. |
