Motorcycle Crash on Interstate 85 Kills One in Charlotte, North Carolina (NC)

CHARLOTTE, NC- Wcnc.com writes that a crash killed a motorcyclist this week in Charlotte, North Carolina. The incident occurred in the southbound lanes of Interstate 85 in the early evening. Reports state that the collision happened close to Sugar Creek Road and that the victim died at the scene of the wreck. Details are few at this time, but drivers were told to avoid the area while investigators worked at the scene.*

Motorcyclists face a higher risk of fatal injuries when they are involved in crashes. In fact, these motorists are 28 times as likely to die on the road as are people who are in other types of vehicles such as cars, SUVs, or trucks. The lack of safety features might be one of the main reasons that these motorists face so many risks, but there are other important factors at play as well. For instance, drivers in larger cars frequently fail to notice motorcycles on the road. 

Motorcyclists have the same rights to use the road as do people in cars. It is important that drivers always remember that they owe motorcyclists a duty of caution and must look out for these smaller road users. Sadly, drivers may be predisposed to overlook motorcycles. Studies suggest that the human brain filters out information which it deems less important, especially when the brain is overloaded with stimuli. 

Driving is deceptively complicated, and we must interpret a great deal of input when operating our cars. As such, drivers ignore less important things. Motorcycles often end up in that less important category because they are small and present less threat to the driver. This phenomenon explains why so many crashes happen because a driver looks but fails to see a motorcycle. 

Accident News is a safety and education initiative from Montlick & Associates, designed to help people better understand and thereby avoid common accident causes.  To learn more about our injury prevention programs, including iridesafe.com - click here. We hope you are never in an accident, but if you or a family member are injured, call Montlick & Associates 24/7 for your free consultation at 1-800-LAW-NEED (1-800-529-6333) or use our live chat at Montlick.com.

Sources:

https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/local/medic-charlotte-fire-i-85-southbound-sugar-creek-fatal-accident-mva-motorcycle/275-5f450987-7cb5-4bff-a796-02c2f3902e67

https://www.nhtsa.gov/road-safety/motorcycle-safety 

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/01/180105082243.htm