Motorcycle safety often depends on other motorists and the riding skills and experience of the motorcyclist. However, motorcycle accidents can also be traced to malfunctioning of the vehicle. It’s important for motorcyclists to have more than a working knowledge of how their vehicle works, and to be able to look for and identify any problem areas that may need fixing.

The Motorcycle Safety Foundation has a sample inspection checklist that should be handy to motorcyclists. The checklist contains all the items that need to be in working condition for you to ride safely.

• Before you begin riding, check the tread depth of the tires. Look for signs of wear and tear. Look for sharp objects that may have become embedded into tires. Check the tire pressure.
• Inspect your motorcycle wheels. Look for cracks in the cast and seals, and fix any bent, broken or missing spokes
• Inspect your motorcycle brakes.
• Inspect the C control hoses and look for cracks, cuts, leaks and bulges.
• Look for frayed cables.
• Check that the throttle is moving freely, and does not rev when the handlebar is turned.
• Check for any cracks on the headlamp. Check the reflector as well as the mounting and adjustment system of the headlamp. Check if the other lamps are in working condition. There should be no cracks, and lamps should be cleaned. The brake lamp should activate upon front brake or rear brake application.
• Check if the mirrors are cleaned. Check if the turn signals are flashing properly.
• Check your oil levels. Look for leaks of engine oil, hypoid  oil and hydraulic fluid

Very often, Las Vegas personal injury lawyers come across accidents involving new and inexperienced motorcyclists. It’s the reason why we would advise against simply going out, purchasing a motorcycle, and riding away. Take time for a motorcycle training course, which will include awareness of the motorcycle’s mechanical functioning. You should be able to tell when a motorcycle isn’t stable enough to ride, because a mechanical failure could be disastrous.

Ultimately, it’s important to remember that passengers in a car could be safe from injuries caused by a mechanical malfunction of the vehicle, but there is no such safety cushion for a motorcyclist.



The Los Angeles Times featured an article and video last September 27th about the frequency of accidents between cars and pedestrians and Metrolink Trains.

Most Southern Californians know all about the big accidents, such as the head-0n train-on-train accident last year that killed 25 people and brought texting-while-driving accidents to the forefront, the truth is that most Metrolink accidents involve only one train, and it is usually striking a passing car.

What is most frustrating to critics of Metrolink is that it seems that there are certain intersections where most of these accidents occur, and in most cases safety engineers have a clear understaning of they are occuring.  So why aren’t they being fixed?

Further reading:

Los Angeles Times Article

Los Angeles Train Accident Attorney