Be Wary of No-Cause Accidents for Motorcycles/Mopeds

[XLFD]

An older Mason County man died because of injuries sustained from a spill when riding his moped on the highway between Scottville and Ludington.

AMBER TWP. — Grant Robert Bay, 65 of Branch died following a single vehicle crash Friday afternoon. The Mason County Sheriff’s Department reported that Bay was traveling east on U.S. 10-31 near Stiles Road when he apparently lost control of the bike and fell (off) of it.

He suffered head injuries and later died at Memorial Medical Center in Ludington. His name had been withheld pending notification of the family. Sheriff Kim Cole said his sister had been notified Friday following the accident but she had requested his name not be released until after the family had gathered for Mother’s Day. The sheriff’s department did not indicate whether alcohol was a factor or if he was wearing a helmet.

http://www.masoncountypress.com/2013/05/13/victim-identified-from-f...

Sheriff Cole released earlier today that the driver had just bought the moped at the nearby ORV dealership and had drove the vehicle less than a half-mile, so there could be a good case made that Mr. Bay's inexperience behind the wheel of a moped may have been the cause of the crash, and a good lesson to be learned as to where not to test drive your vehicle.  However, there is usually a more proximal cause behind most accidents, even single vehicle crashes by inexperienced drivers. 

This happened on a fairly nice Friday afternoon in May, with no hint of driver impairment, which eliminates several possibilities.  Mopeds are sometimes categorized as bicycles with a motor for help, or as lighter, low-powered motorcycles.  The latter may be more applicable as the accidents incurred on such vehicles fall more in line with motorcycles. 

One big difference between those two is that the smaller tires on mopeds make them more susceptible to accidents as a result of pavement irregularities, potholes, or even speed bumps, than motorcycles, which are heavier and have larger tires, which decrease the chances of these kinds of accidents.  In moped crashes where no other vehicle is involved, particularly during this time of year when potholes are prevalent, this can often be at the root of the problem.

 

Without witnesses to the accident, it cannot be readily determined if that was the cause or not, but another significant cause of moped/motorcycle accidents of this type can be traced to avoiding collisions with other vehicles.   

Motorcyclists/Mopedists sometimes are taught it is best to lay down your bike before an impending crash, which usually isn't the best avoidance technique (as explained here), but even so, an unexpected move by other vehicles may precipitate a one vehicle crash, often without the other vehicle driver's knowledge.  

Motorcycles typically have more sophisticated braking systems than mopeds, and so a quick need to brake may result in a loss of control of the moped, and a serious or fatal injury resulting-- particularly with a novice rider.  That may be what happened here, with US 10 being crowded and bustling with mixed-regional Friday afternoon traffic, Mr. Bay maybe was caught behind someone that either braked in front of him or cut him off unintentionally. 

Lastly, the case must be made for the danger of the curbs that line US 10 between Scottville and Ludington, and almost every driveway just off the road.  If Mr. Bay decided to use the shoulder, he could have easily ran over one of these curbs unexpectedly and took a fatal spill.  Hopefully I can get more from the police report once it is made available.