Did a Motorcyclist Too Old to Safely Ride Cause Your Crash?
Although they get more press, vehicle drivers who are too elderly or disabled to drive safely are not the only gray threat on the roads. A motorcycle that’s unsafely driven can kill or severely injure others when ridden by someone no longer physically and or mentally capable of doing so. Riders who don’t know when to stop or refuse to do so are accidents waiting to happen.
A Revzilla article by Dr. Lewis Kaplan discusses issues that should concern any of us using public roads. Though motorcycles are often the victims of negligent drivers, they can also cause problems for drivers, fellow motorcyclists, bicyclists, and pedestrians.
Medical Conditions That Should Force Motorcyclists Off Their Bikes
Many physical limitations and medical conditions should end the careers of drivers and riders alike. They include the following:
- Active seizures
- Untreatable brain tumor
- Lack of balance or dizziness
- Legal blindness
- Syncope (passing out)
- Unstable diabetes mellitus (high blood sugar)
- Poorly controlled heart rhythms requiring electrical shocks to maintain a regular rhythm
- Loss of essential limbs
- Certain psychological or psychiatric conditions causing inattentiveness or aggression that create a clear and present danger to themselves or others
Motorcyclists should stop riding if they can’t safely get on or off their bikes or breathe normally while riding. Issues that may arise that should cause them to stop riding at least temporarily include the following:
- Using new opioid pain medication
- Using chemotherapy or radiation to treat cancer because it can make you very tired
- Unhealed abdominal or chest surgery
- A recent traumatic brain injury
These limitations may not be written into law, but they are common-sense precautions (not that that means much to some people).
Warning Signs of Aging and Frailty to Motorcyclists
Some of us are so obviously frail that driving a car would be dangerous. Given the extra challenges of motorcycling, motorcyclists should stop riding long before their frailties are obvious.
Frailty is a syndrome (a group of symptoms), and scoring systems are used to identify those at risk of frailty (pre-frail) and those who currently have it, as well as its severity. There isn’t a hard number for when someone should stop riding. However, some events and signs indicate safety problems that shouldn’t be ignored. They include:
- Feeling uncomfortable, fearful, or nervous if riding or preparing to ride
- Frequent and or unexpected “close calls” that didn’t happen previously
- Slowed response to unexpected situations
- Unintentionally getting lost while going to a familiar place
- Difficulty staying in a lane or maintaining a line
- Difficulty concentrating while riding
- Trouble paying attention to road signs, signals, and pavement markings
- Difficulty judging gaps in traffic
- Frequent traffic tickets or warnings
- Increasing weakness and tiredness despite getting sufficient sleep
If a motorcyclist faces these issues, riding a trike with two wheels in the front or back will not make them a safe rider. It may give them a false sense of security, putting them in situations they’ll have difficulty handling.
Practical Advice from Older Motorcyclists
The author interviewed several riders, from the young to the very old. He asked them when they thought they should stop riding and how they would know it was their time. Here are some of their thoughts:
- I can’t pick up my bike
- I lose sight of the road at night
- I can’t get my leg over the seat
- I fall getting off my bike on level ground
- Friends won’t ride with me because my riding scares them
- I can’t even go the speed limit without fearing I won’t react in time to an emergency
- Motorcycle insurance becomes unaffordable
- I can’t read the street signs at the speed limit
Any of these issues should prompt a doctor’s visit to determine whether the rider should continue or if they have a treatable condition that can improve and make riding safer.
Speak To a Louisville Motorcycle Accident Attorney Today
If you or someone you love is injured in a Kentucky motorcycle accident, contact us. We want to help you recover the full and fair compensation you deserve. Whether a motorcyclist injured you or you were injured while riding a motorcycle, we can be your boots on the ground and guide you through the process ahead.
Contact our Louisville office to schedule a free initial consultation with an experienced Satterley & Kelley, PLLC motorcycle accident attorney. Call toll-free at 855-385-9532. You may also reach us through our online contact form.