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Being a safe driver is essential no matter the vehicle. For motorcycle riders, taking precautionary measures to improve personal safety can help decrease the risk of being involved in a collision.

May is Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month, and there are many things a rider can do to contribute to this. Here are three simple tips that a motorcyclist can use daily to improve their safety.

#1. Increase Visibility to Other Drivers

Ensuring that a motorcycle rider can be visible to other road users no matter the time of day is important for ensuring their safety. While every street-legal motorcycle is required to have a headlight, taillights and turn signals, several other visibility options are available. Some options to consider include wearing high visibility or reflective gear and avoiding lingering in a driver’s blind spots.

#2. Take Safety Courses

Taking safety courses or other motorcycle education classes can help build confidence and reinforce ways to keep riders safe—even if they have ridden for decades already. Some programs even offer courses explicitly designed for experienced riders aimed at improving finesse and risk management.

This can also be a great option for riders who have recently relocated to a new state or area with unfamiliar terrain.

#3. Keep Up With Routine Maintenance

As with any other vehicle, having a regularly maintained and well-kept motorcycle can reduce the possibility of preventable accidents. Especially if the bike was recently stored for winter, it’s important to keep maintenance up-to-date and ensure everything is in proper working order.

Your Kansas Motorcycle Accident Attorneys

The team at Bretz Injury Law is dedicated to protecting the rights of motorcycle riders who’ve been injured. Since 1997, we have fought for injured motorcyclists throughout Kansas and can help protect your future. Schedule a free consultation today by calling .

Lawyers have been part of the bedrock of our country since it was founded. Twenty-five of the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence were lawyers, and 32 of the 55 framers of the Constitution were lawyers. Participation in government, community service and advocacy for those in need of a voice are part of the very fabric of the legal profession.

Moreover, lawyers hold a special position of trust in their communities. It is that trust which gives a lawyer some measure of value. When the chips are down and we have to take a case to trial, we depend on the trust we’ve earned from the members of our community who are chosen to sit on a jury. As injury lawyers, when we advocate for people who have been hurt or disabled due to the negligence of others, we’re fighting not only to right the particular wrongs they have suffered, but also to make our community safer and prevent others from being hurt in the future.

It would not be an exaggeration to say that for the majority of attorneys, reputation and trust are everything. When a lawyer engages in misconduct and dishonesty, it is a betrayal of trust. It is an affront to the legal profession and to our entire community.

That is why we at Bretz & Young were so saddened by the news that Wichita lawyer Bradley Pistotnik was charged in a federal indictment.

According to the Wichita Eagle, Pistotnik and a software engineer, David Dorsett, have been charged with five counts of computer fraud and two counts of conspiracy. Pistotnik has also been charged with three counts of making false statements to the FBI.

We are disheartened by the negativity that the actions of one individual have brought upon the legal community. We work every day to be worthy of our clients’ trust and to obtain the compensation our clients need and deserve. We know this to be true of many of our colleagues.

And as Mr. Pistotnik’s indictment has rightly drawn more attention to the issue of ethics and integrity in the legal profession, we reaffirm our commitment to be worthy of trust in the community we serve.

Since 2003, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has been evaluating vehicles to determine how well they protect passengers involved in side-impact collisions. An experienced T-Bone accident lawyer knows IIHS crash tests are a good predictor of whether a car will prevent injuries or fatalities when a vehicle is hit from the side.

Some side-impact accidents are so serious, and the intrusion so great, that there is nothing to prevent serious injuries or death. In a typical accident, however, the car you are in can mean the difference between permanent impairment and walking away with minimal injury.

Drivers who cause car accidents will be responsible for compensating you for losses regardless of whether you choose to buy a car with advanced safety features, but it is important for your own health and well-being to choose a car with the best crash test ratings you can find if you are serious about road safety.

T-Bone Accident Risks Can be Reduced By Cars With Good Safety Features

IIHS mimics T-Bone or side-impact collisions by using a barrier designed to simulate a pickup truck or an SUV. The barrier hits the car on the side as though it is causing a broadside collision. An assessment is completed to determine injury ratings for injuries most likely to occur in a side-impact collision, including injury to the head or neck; to the torso; and to the legs and pelvis.

Vehicles are rated based on how well they are able to prevent the striking car from intruding into the compartment where occupants sit. Vehicles are also rated based on whether occupants’ heads were protected by safety features installed in the vehicle.

IISH gives cars a rating of good, acceptable, marginal, or poor depending upon how well side airbags and other protective features worked to prevent serious injury. Only vehicles including head and torso protection and driver side air bags are included in IIHS crash tests.

IIHS also assesses driver fatalities after accounting for driver and vehicle factors. IIHS crash test dummies used to determine driver death include not just standard sized men, but also crash test dummies intended to represent women and children. The crash tests can be a fairly accurate predictor of the likelihood that a car crash will have permanent or fatal consequences.

In vehicles IIHS rated as good, drivers are 70 percent less likely to be killed in a left-side crash than drivers in vehicles rated as poor. In vehicles rated “acceptable,” drivers have a 64 percent lower death risk compared with drivers in vehicles rated poor. Results are statistically significant and demonstrate the impact of vehicle design and safety features. The factor making the biggest difference in whether a driver might be killed in a T-bone accident is vehicle structure.

IIHS reports that side-impact crashes caused 27 percent of all deaths of vehicle occupants in 2009 collisions. As automakers receive IIHS crash testing ratings, many move forward to improve safety features if their cars did not perform well. This means death tolls could go down as more car manufacturers try to implement features to prevent deaths in T-Bone accidents.