More than 500 Floridians died in motorcycle accidents in 2017

According to a recent report, 504 motorcyclists across Florida died in fatal motorcycle accidents in 2017. This number, which is preliminary, is significantly lower than the 574 motorcycle fatalities that were reported in Florida in 2016.

If the 504 figure holds, it will be an over 12 percent decline in the number of fatalities between 2016 and 2017, which is promising news. Across the country, the number of motorcycle fatalities declined by just over 5.5 percent. Still, 500 deaths on Florida’s roads is 500 deaths too many.

Not all of these deaths were necessarily the fault of another driver, but the report also pointed again to the glaring reality that motorcyclists on Florida’s roads are, relatively speaking, in a lot of additional danger.

For instance, driving the same number of miles, a motorcyclist is 28 times more likely to die in a fatal motorcycle crash. Looking at the same problem another way, motorcyclists represented almost 1 in 6 of all traffic fatalities. One need only observe a highway for several minutes to realize that the proportion of motorcycles on the road is much lower than one in six.

When a motorcyclist dies in an accident, the family should eventually think about whether someone else was responsible for the motorcyclist’s death and, if so, what the family’s legal options are. After all, the loss of their loved one could have created a significant financial burden for the family, not to mention the magnitude of their loss on an emotional level. Moreover, it is important to hold accountable motorists who, for whatever reason, do not give a motorcyclist the respect on the road he or she deserves.