As a motorcyclist in Tennessee, you may be at a higher risk of sustaining a serious head injury if you are involved in an accident. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration states that motorcycle accident injuries, including traumatic brain damage, is a leading cause of death in motorcycle accidents across the country. In fact, motorcyclists are injured or killed in more than 80 percent of all motorcycle collisions.
One major contributor to this statistic is the failure to wear a helmet. The Insurance Institute of Highway Safety states that of the 4,381 people killed in motorcycle accidents in 2013, 38 percent of motorcycle drivers were not wearing a helmet when the collision occurred. Additionally, approximately 47 percent of motorcycle passengers failed to wear a helmet, and suffered fatal injuries as a result. While the exact cause of death was not stated, it can be assumed that the lack of protection on the head played a big role.
If you drive a car, you have air bags, roll bars, seat belts, protective steel and other safety equipment designed to protect you. However, your motorcycle lacks such features. As such, if a motorist cuts you off, you could find yourself flying through the air head-first over your bike. This means your head will hit whatever is in front of you with greater force than if you were connected to a seat belt and hit your head on the steering wheel or a vehicle. Even if your bike is not going very fast, you could suffer a more serious brain injury simply because there is nothing there to absorb some of the impact.