Recently I met with a motorcyclist who was injured in a crash. He had been traveling south in the left lane of a 50 mph road and exited to the left. The exit did not have a posted speed limit but did have a sign indicating a left curve ahead. The curve was sharper than expected and the road went under an overpass.
The bridge abutment was guarded by large yellow Department of Transportation sand barrels. The barrels were all broken and sand had spilled out onto the shoulder and had washed into the roadway by rains. Obviously, prior vehicles had been unable to slow quickly enough to make it under the bridge and hit the barrels. When the motorcyclist came upon the area his tires lost traction on the sand, the bike went down, he flew off the bike and was seriously injured. He lost his job as a truck driver due to his injuries and will have significant rehabilitation after surgery as well as out of pocket bills.
Be aware of the older roads in New Jersey and surrounding states. Many were built decades ago and are not safe for the speeds posted today. I also recommend that you report any damaged guard rails and protective barrels to the local police departments. Had the barrels been replaced and the sand not allowed to flow into the street the motorcyclist would not have been injured.
