If you ride your motorcycle in or around Dane County, you know that the area has a lot to offer. You also know that you have to stay alert to the many potential dangers on the road, from aggressive or distracted drivers to poorly designed intersections or roads littered with debris. Despite your best efforts, you can be seriously hurt because of somebody else's carelessness.

Where are Madison riders most likely to be injured?

Intersections

A recent City Traffic and Engineering report points to the West Badger Road and South Park Street as the intersection with the highest accident rate, followed closely by Commercial Avenue and North Thompson Drive. Three other intersections compete for the third place: South Midvale Boulevard and Mineral Point Road, Portage and Thierer Roads and South Blair Street and John Nolen Drive. Other sources indicate that a number of intersections on Stoughton Road are particularly dangerous, namely South Stoughton and Buckeye Roads, Stoughton Road and Highway 30 and North Stoughton Road and East Washington Avenue.

Highways

Three non-intersection locations with a higher than normal crash frequency include East Washington Avenue's 3700 and 3800 blocks, followed by the 1200 block of Williamson Street and the 2200 block of South Park Street. As everyone in Madison knows, the Beltline combines national, state and local traffic and is an important route for commercial vehicles - which means big, dangerous tractor trailers. The heavy traffic density and out-of-date design contribute to over 600 crashes per year on the Madison Beltline.

Rural roads

Pleasant as they are, many dangers lurk on rural roads. Rural roads often don't get the same kind of care and maintenance as urban roads, which can lead to unsafe situations - and crashes. These older, out of the way roads may also be badly designed and often lack modern improvements in signage and signaling, all of which can contribute to a motorcycle wreck. Bike crashes on rural roads can be caused by poor surface drainage, improperly graded curves, potholes, inadequate or hard to see warning signs, and uneven or damaged pavement

Who is to blame when poor road conditions or design contribute to a motorcycle wreck? In certain circumstances, the state may be held liable if the crash was caused or aggravated by such conditions, especially if there is a history of similar accidents at that location.
 
If you or someone you care for has suffered serious injuries in a motorcycle crash, you may want to find out how the Madison motorcycle crash attorneys of Hupy and Abraham can help you. Please call Hupy and Abraham now toll-free at 888-277-4879 or locally at 608-277-7777 or send us an e-mail for a free, no obligation consultation.