Motorcyclist Killed in South Jordan, Utah Accident
According to KSL news, a car made a left hand turn in front of a motorcycle in South Jordan on December 1, 2008 at 11:30am near the intersection of 11800 South and 4000 West. Sadly, the motorcyclist was pronounced dead at the scene.
I offer my condolences to the victim's family.
The police are still investigating this accident, but clearly the driver of the car is fully responsible for turning left and not keeping a proper lookout. Before this tragic accident, the eseret news reported that the number of people who have died from motorcycle accidents in 2008 was at 32. This was 9 more than all of 2007.
Motorcycle versus automobile accidents are always serious, and often deadly. Utah Department of Public Safety has made extensive efforts to educate the public about motorcycles on the roads. They wrote a brochure, “Share the Road, Start Seeing Motorcycles” and note that approximately 75% of all motorcycle crashes involve a motor vehicle, and 67% of these crashes were caused by the motorist failing to yield the right-of-way to the motorcyclist.
Everyone should read this brochure and follow their SEE program while traveling on Utah roads. S- Search for factors in the area, search for oncoming traffic, motorcycles, pedestrians, etc. E- Evaluate the potential risk and options. Think about your time and space requirements to maintain a margin of safety. E- Execute with control and precision. Don’t make a maneuver unless it can be done safely.
