Even with the protection of gloves, leathers, helmets, boots, and safety goggles, motorcycle riders are at an extremely high risk for serious injury. This is due, in part, to the lack of encasement around them. However, they are also at an increased risk because, more often than not, other drivers simply do not see motorcycle riders. What injuries are riders most likely to sustain in a motorcycle accident? The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration (NHTSA) have both conducted studies to find the answer.
Most Common Non-Fatal Injuries
Based on hospital records of 1,222,000 motorcycle crash victims, the CDC’s study of non-fatal motorcycle crash injuries determined that the feet and legs of riders were most likely to be injured in a crash (30 percent of all injuries). However, in a very close second, injuries to the head and neck accounted for 22 percent of injuries. This includes injuries like traumatic brain injury (TBI, also known as a concussion), paralysis, whiplash, and others. Injuries to the chest, back, shoulders, hips, arms, pelvis, and other areas of the body made up the remainder of non-fatal injuries sustained by riders.
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