What Are High-Side and Low-Side Motorcycle Crashes?

Motorcycle riding is a fun and inexpensive form of transportation. It can also be dangerous. Even experienced riders risk catastrophic injuries and death. Two of the many dangers riders should be prepared for are high-side and low-side accidents.

High-side motorcycle accidents

What does it mean to high-side a motorcycle?

According to Moto Machines, a motorcycle sales company, a motorcycle high-side accident happens when the rear wheel of a motorcycle “loses lateral grip then regains it suddenly.” When the tire regains traction, the motorcycle’s momentum forces the rider into the air (and off the motorcycle). Riders can flip over the handlebars. Expressed in another way, “as the rear tire loses traction, it generally goes into a sideways skid. Once the tire grips the road again, get ready to be airborne.”

This type of motorcycle accident normally happens when a motorcycle driver goes too slowly into a turn, and then “adds throttle and leans in.” The result is that the rear tire’s grip becomes overloaded. As the rider leans in, the radius of the rear tire is reduced. This causes an increase in revolutions per minute (RPMs).

Additional factors that may cause a motorcycle rider to have a high-side accident include the following:

• If the roadway is slippery due to water, an oil slick, or black ice
• “Downshifting too fast before entering a turn, causing the rear wheel to lock”
• “Accelerating out of a corner too soon when you still have a lot of lean in the curve” (this factor causes the rear tire to lose its grip while also increasing the speed of the tire)
• “Leaning too far into a curve, causing something on the bike to touch the ground, like the footpeg or muffler, resulting in the rear tire losing traction”
• A chain that comes off the motorcycle
• A wheel that locks due to a “seized engine”

Moto Machines recommends that riders who experience a high-side possibility:

• Stay calm
• “Release the throttle and use the clutch to disengage engine power from the rear wheel”
• Shift the weight of their body towards the inside of the turn to reduce the center of gravity of the motorcycle, which can help prevent the rider from flipping over the motorcycle
• “Avoid counter-steering in the direction of the skid – even though that’s what your instincts might be pushing you to do” (essentially, choosing not to counter-steer will likely cause a low-side crash instead of a high-side crash and low-side crashes usually cause less severe injuries)
• Dress appropriately by wearing a helmet, jacket, pants, boots, and gloves

What does it mean to low-side a motorcycle?

Low-side motorcycle accidents happen when either the front or rear wheel slides out from underneath the driver. In a low-side crash, an accident generally occurs when the rider leans into a corner (or enters a turn too fast), “crashing on the same side.” In a front-wheel low-side crash, the front wheel loses its grip with the road “mid-corner, causing the bike to slide out.” In a rear-wheel low-side crash, the rear wheel loses traction and slides out from under the driver.

Generally, a low-side motorcycle accident begins while the rider is in the “middle of the corner, where it is the sharpest and their bike has the most lean.” When a motorcycle has to lean more, the faster riders “hit the mid-corner.” Motorcycle operators will then need to “lean more or go off the edge of the road.” Usually, going slower doesn’t help. If the driver tries to straighten their motorcycle prematurely, the driver won’t be able to run around the corner.

The causes of low-side motorcycle accidents include:

• Speeding
• Taking a corner too sharply or too quickly
• Aggressive braking or over-braking on the front brake
• Understeering when starting a turn too quickly, hitting an unexpected road hazard.
• Leaning too far into a turn
• Debris or oil on the road.
• A mechanical failure/defect with the brakes or tires.

Some of the factors that may contribute to low-ride motorcycle accidents include a lack of experience or careless riding. Riders should avoid panic braking, improper body positions, and “target fixation.”

To keep traction with the road, drivers should be alert to the condition of their tires and the road conditions. Slippery, cold, or slick roads increase the risk of losing traction, especially on the front wheel. It helps when drivers take “smooth and controlled actions when they’re braking, throttling, and steering.” Drivers should avoid trail braking to keep the excess weight off the front tire. Moto Machines recommends specific steps for riders who need to trail brake.

Possible injuries from high-side and low-side accidents include traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord damage, broken bones, road rash, and other serious injuries.

Liability for high-side and low-side motorcycle accidents

Victims of high-side and low-side accidents often need expensive medical care, lose time from work (if they can return to work at all), suffer long-term physical pain and emotional suffering, and property damage to their motorcycles.

Generally, the driver is at fault for these types of motorcycle accidents. Passengers will have a personal injury claim against the motorcycle operator. Drivers normally need to use their own health insurance. Drivers and passengers may have a product liability claim if the brakes, throttle, or other parts of the motorcycle are defective.

At Wagner Workers Compensation & Personal Injury Lawyers, we handle scary and complex accident cases. Flipping over the front of a motorcycle or sliding out from a motorcycle that loses traction with the road are terrifying accidents. Our Chattanooga motorcycle accident lawyers file negligence and third-party claims when dangerous accidents happen. We demand all the compensation Tennessee law permits.

Please call us or complete our contact form today to schedule a free consultation. We’re here to help you start over. We proudly serve motorcycle accident victims in and around Chattanooga, Cleveland, and North Georgia.