Motor vehicle accidents can happen at any place, at any time and to anyone – even to a Los Angeles Police Department motorcycle officer.

According to the California Highway Patrol (CHP), an off-duty motorcycle officer was involved in a solo vehicle crash on the 405 Freeway in Long Beach where the unnamed officer sustained an elbow injury.

The crash which is under investigation has caused considerable traffic in the area. The LAPD officer was allegedly on his way home and was riding a Department-issued motorcycle at the time of the accident.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, approximately 80 percent of all motorcycle crashes result in injury or death. The high rate of injury and death is mostly attributed to the fact that motorcycles offer virtually no protection in a crash.

Unlike seatbelts, airbags, sturdy roofs, and door beams of cars which offer a measure of protection to its occupants, the best protection motorcycle riders have against death and injury in case of a crash is a motorcycle helmet.

Also, motorcycles are more likely to crash than any other motor vehicle.

Because motorcycles are designed to have high performance capabilities such as maneuverability, agility, ability to stop and swerve quickly, it has sacrificed the stability and protection offered by other vehicles such as a passenger car. Its size also makes it less visible to other vehicles on the road.

No matter how good or skilled a person is in riding a motorcycle – whether as a new rider or someone who rides it for a living, for many motorcycle riders, an accident is pretty much inevitable.

The only thing that would tip the scale between life and death in a motorcycle crash is a helmet. Wearing a federally-approved helmet would decrease the chances of serious head or neck injury by as much as three times.

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The new S-curve on San Francisco’s Bay Bridge which just opened last September 8, has taken a turn for the worst.

After more than 42 non-fatal car accidents since it opened, a big-rig truck took a big plunge (more than 200 feet) and killed its driver. The 56-year-old Hayward man was allegedly speeding when he lost control of his truck.

According to the investigators, the truck, loaded with pears, was traveling 10 mph over the speed limit when it tipped over the 3-foot-high rail and fell down onto Yerba Buena Island. It is also suspected that the load shifted when the driver hit the S-curve which helped tip the truck over the side.

The driver died immediately after the accident.

Despite the numerous accidents and complaints about the S-curve’s “dangerous” design and the recent fatal accident, the California Highway Patrol believes that it’s safe. They maintain that there is no design flaw and that if people merely followed the posted speed limit, they can make it through the S-curve safely.

Nevertheless, Caltrans will be adding more safety measures and warning signs to get drivers to slow down when approaching the notorious S-curve. 6-inch-wide reflective strips on the barriers will be added as well as a large overhead sign with flashing beacons warning about the speed limit.

According to the CHP, the accident could have easily been prevented as speed has always been a factor in every traffic collision which occurred in the S-curve.

While a lot of drivers would point fingers or play the blame game after an accident, from road defects to faulty designs – most of the time, it is not always the case.

Driver error is still the leading cause of motor vehicle accidents and speeding is a bad driver habit common to most Americans. In fact, more than 1,000 Americans are killed by speeding every month.

Speeding may save time or get you to work promptly but saving your life is more important than shaving a few seconds off your travel time.

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