The victim of a crash in Miranmar last Friday has been identified as a 42-year-old San Diego resident. The crash occurred when a Chevy pickup truck wandered into the westbound lane of Miramar Road, where the man was riding his Harley Davidson. The truck collided with the motorcycle, killing the San Diego man before first responders could arrive. The tragic motorcycle accident is still under investigation at this time.
While California has made some strides in reducing motorcycle deaths in recent years, they still represent a greater percentage of total traffic deaths than they should. Motorcycle fatalities rose 175 percent in California from 1998 to 2008. During that same time period, the number of car accidents and car accident fatalities actually dropped. The question for many is why safety has not improved across the board.
Some suggest that car accident fatalities have dropped due to enhanced safety features, rather than on safer driving practices. The rise in distracted driving seems to support this theory and might also partially explain the increase in fatal motorcycle accidents. Automobile drivers who feel safe enough to text and drive represent a serious threat to the safety of motorcyclists who share the road with them.
It is not clear at this time what caused the Chevy pickup to cross into the westbound lane. Whatever the cause, it cost the victim his life and left his wife and daughters to deal with a terrible loss. Hopefully, the investigation will yield some answers for what caused this terrible tragedy.
Source: NBC 7 San Diego, " Motorcyclist, 42, Killed in Miramar Crash," by Christine London and Monica Garske, 13 September 2013