Riding a motorcycle can open a new level of freedom. Being on the road, wind in your face, and the power that travels from a single rev of the engine to your mind in a matter of a second. But when you are riding a bike, it is about danger being so exposed on the outside of the vehicle and still going down the road. Accidents happen and in some cases, they can end a life. There are a degree of injuries that you may receive if you are ever in a motorcycle accident. The descriptions of the most common ground are below.
Head Injuries
Head injuries occur often time and can range from a simple mild concussion to severe brain injuries that are irreversible. You can prevent the blunt force of a head injury by wearing a correct fitting helmet. You want to look for one that fits properly around the chin and around the head. You can look good and wear a helmet all at the same time. If a helmet has a crack, or shows signs of other damage, you don’t want to use that helmet anymore. Don’t buy a motorcycle helmet second hand. It’s also a good idea to wear the full faced protection helmets for the maximum head protection.
Lower Extremities Injuries
Motorcycle accidents that were not fatal commonly resulted in knee, leg, and feet injuries. Whether it was simple bruising, cuts or sprains, it was something that motorcyclists could recover from. Road rash is another common injury from an accident. This type of injury is simply caused by road frictions during the accident. There are possibilities of more severe injuries that include hip fractures and ankle fractions too. There are a few factors that can help reduce your chances of suffering an injury or at least a more severe injury. This includes:
• Riding pants: these pants cover your legs but make sure that they won’t overheat you in the hotter temperatures.
• Knee pads: These can be worn on the outside of your pants or the inside
• Boots: The stronger the boot, the more impact it can protect your ankles from. The soles can be made from a durable type of material that will handle the road surface.
• Never wear anything that could cause you to not have control of your bike at all times, such as high heels.
Upper Extremities Injuries
When an injury occurs to the upper area of the body it’s usually due to:
• the driver attempting to catch himself in the fall
• the driver is thrown from the motorcycle
• The driver is pinned between the other object and motorcycle
• The driver receives head injuries
• The driver is pinned below the motorcycle, while it is sliding on the road.
The upper torso could receive lacerations, contusions, fractured or broken shoulder, elbow, wrist, fingers, clavicle, ribs, or pelvis. The accident can also cause injuries to the internal organs as well. Spinal injuries are also commonly occurring the upper cervical, the mid thoracic, or the lower lumbar regions of the back. Injuries that involve the spine can cause permanent mild or severe damage that leads to quadriplegia. While thoracic spine injuries are not as common, they too can result in paralysis if the legs. It’s important that you wear protective clothing that can help to reduce the severity all the overall injuries to the back, the neck, torso, and upper extremities. Protective clothing can include:
• Riding Jacket: these jackets are designed to be comfortable for the rider and to offer a little bit of protection in case of an accident.
• Gloves: Riding gloves have hand grips to help you grip the controls while you are operating the motorcycle even in the rain. They extend over the wrist for more protection and they don’t cause your hands to sweat too bad and be tempted to take them off.
It’s important that you remember the acronym: ATGATT. This stands for ‘All The Gear, All The Time’. While it may feel better sometimes to not put on the riding gear, never get onto a motorcycle without first gearing up. You owe it to yourself and those on the road with you to always think safety first.
