Screwing around, other people, riding error, poor judgment.

Poor Judgement, Usually that of the CAR driver that does not see the bike, because they did not look properly or are too busy talking on thier mobile etc.

Not bad luck, bad judgment. Showing off to your friends, riding faster than is safe. Not watching out for gravel or debris (little ball-bearings on the road surface) Not enough training or NO training. Not using safety gear, helmet that fits and is DOT or Snell rated (no beanies or open face) jacket and pants with padding and protection, boots, gloves. Riding two up when you don't have the training or skills for it. Riding when you shouldn't be like drinking or during dawn or dusk when deer are most active. Pull over and do something else till it's safer. Or be watchful constantly and ride slower. And always, ALWAYS watch out for cars. Even when you think you've made eye contact, make sure they see you. Don't insist on your right of way. The cars can kill you. It's not worth it. Edit: Most bike fatalities are single vehicle accidents in the USA. That means NO CAR INVOLVED. It's the rider's fault.

Most motorcycle fatalities are due to bad luck for the motorcycle rider and poor judgement on the driver of the car. It is a fact that most accidents involving motorcycles are due to the fact that cars do not see the bike. This recently happened to a friends husband. Her husband was doing 55 mph (legally) when a nineteen-year old pulled out in front of him. He has been through four surgeries and spent six weeks in the hospital, through no fault of his own.

My cousin was killed in 1983 when a new driver hit the excelerator instead of the break at an intersection. A friend recently wrecked because he lost it in some gravel. I really believe that motorcycle accidents aren't a lot different than any other type of accident...some type of unfortunate circumstances. I suppose that there are statistics out there that state what percentage of accidents are cause by this or that. The bottomline is we ALL need to be cautious drivers. I am not a biker person, but both my brothers are. I know they use good sense when they ride & hope that everyone else around them does to.

its almost always the soccer moms fault. Unless its some kid on an oversized/way out of his league superbike, then most likely its his own stupidity. I say kid cause its not that hard to get yourself a very fast bike for just 10 to 15 grand, compare that to a ferrari that doesnt even hold a candle to any japanese bike. But other than that, almost always lack of Car and Truck drivers.

I think that it's a little of both. Most fatalities occur because people in cars do not know how to watch out for amything unless it's 3000 pounds of steel. if everyone drove bikes, there would be less fatalities. You don't hear about that many fatal accidents in China do you? That's because they are all on bicycles. I HATE when people who are WAAAAAY too old to be behind a wheel still drive. I live in Florida near Sun City and that is a community that is ENTIRELY seniors, and I avoid that road at all costs.

I have been riding motorcycles for over 32 years, I raced professionally for 10 of those years. I rode very fast motorcycles both in the dirt, flat track, and road racing, speeds in excess of 180 MPH. I have never had an accident on the street but I certainly have had many close calls. My experience has saved my life many many times. The bottom line is most riders do not have the mental attitude that they are essentially a rolling target. You must always assume every car or vehicle on the road CANNOT see YOU! You must assume they will do the un-doable and they will pull out in front of you, cut you off and simply not see you. A great rule of thumb is, if you can see their eyes in their mirror then they can see you BUT that does not mean they are looking. Also showing off will sooner or later hurt you or kill you, it's not IF it's WHEN, it WILL happen 100% of the time. Sometimes people have a long luck streak. When you ride on the roads avoid riding in the middle of the street, thats where all the oil drips from cars. Try to stay in the middle lane on the highway so you always have a way out. Remember that when it rains after a long dry spell that the roads will be extremely slick because the oil raises to the top of the road surface making it easy to lose traction. Use more front brake than back brake, you have %70 stopping power in the front if used correctly.

Poor jugement and not staying focused.

I find that, as a rider, a lot of cars have no idea about the physics involved in bikes and trucks (stopping distances, accelerations, etc). However, I would say that a lot of riders could avoid many accidents and lessen the chances of fatalities if they: 1) Rode for the conditions. 2) Rode defensively in traffic. 3) Remembered that, even if the legal law says you're right, the physical law might say you're wrong. It's best to be the better rider and slow down, give way, remain calm and avoid situations. In these cases, I'd call it poor judgment.

Hard to say for one simple reason; accidents that would merely scare a car driver without so much as a fender scratch can/do kill a motorcyclist.

Gotta say, it's bad judgement. I was 15 when I got my first bike. Am 49 now and have had quite a few and survived. What saved my ass from the beginning was my Dad's admonition that a motorcyclist should know the 3 rules. 1 A bike is inherantly dangerous. Without the keys in it, you can still be injured if you take it off the stand and cannot support it. It can keel over and break your leg(s). 2 No one else on the road can see a motorcycle. Always ride on the assumption that none has seen you. 3 Even though they can't see you. Everyone elss on the road is OUT TO KILL YOU. ( This assumption has saved my bacon more than once ) to his 3, I add another that has helped on occasion. 4 Keep some power in reserve... In case of an accident what is better than "presence of mind" ?? Simple - "Absence of body". So when riding - be defensive, keep some power in reserve and be familiar with the capabilities of your machine. On a bike you have the agility to avoid some accidents by accelerating around and away from the scene, rather than braking and stopping DEAD in the centre of it.

I think most are from, bad judgement.

75% of motorcycle accidents involve a car and a bike, with the car at fault. When the bike is involved in a single vehicle accident, its due to rider being out of control. Half of accidents involve alcohol use. Department Of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Dr Hugh Hurt, commonly known as the Hurt report. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurt_Report

Personally, I think straddling two wheels with a big motor attached is bad judgement in and of itself. I have narrowly missed bikes that I just didn't see more times than I can count, and it wasn't for lack of looking. They are small, dark colored and fast moving. It is like trying to pick out a mosquito as it moves in and out of shadow. But I have also had a motorcycle rider pop a wheelie in front of me in heavy traffic at 50 miles an hour, and nearly flip the bike at that speed. I've also seen more than a few bikes speeding down the line between two lanes, passing cars both on their right side and on their left side, which also doesn't help with seeing them.

Most accidents are cars hitting bikes they didn't see. You have to "make" your own luck, by not being the bike that gets hit because it wasn't seen. I do this by not being in that spot where I would get hit. You do this by not riding in blind spots. You do this by noticing a slow down of cars in the right lane, that will compel cars in that lane to quickly switch to your lane without looking etc... There are about 20 predictors of this type of accident. Learn those predictors. Listen to rselvy above. He gets it.