Motorcycle Season in NEPA: The Roads to Respect & What To Do If You’re Hit
If you ride in Northeastern Pennsylvania, you already know the feeling of the first warm, dry weekend — the whole valley seems to come out at once. Summer is the best riding of the year here. It's also when motorcycle crashes spike, and the hard truth is that most serious ones aren't the rider's fault. They happen when a driver in a car doesn't see the bike.
Why summer is the dangerous season
More riders, more cars, more tourists unfamiliar with the roads, and long daylight hours all stack up between Memorial Day and Labor Day. The classic NEPA hazards don't help: sudden afternoon storms that slick the roads, gravel and frost-heave damage left over from winter, deer that don't read calendars, and the simple fact that drivers here aren't always scanning for motorcycles. The most common serious collision is still the left-turning car that turns across an oncoming rider's path — the driver "looked" but didn't register the bike.
A few stretches worth extra caution
Every rider has their own list, but the patterns are familiar: the winding rural routes through the mountains where blind curves meet gravel and driveways; the high-speed merges and lane changes on and around I-81 and the cross-valley corridor; and the busy in-town intersections where left-turning traffic and distracted drivers are the real threat. None of this is a reason not to ride — it's a reason to ride defensively and assume you haven't been seen.
If another driver hits you
A motorcycle crash is different from a car crash in one important way: there's no metal cage around you, so injuries tend to be more serious, and the stakes of doing the aftermath right are higher. The basics still apply:
1. Get medical care immediately, even if you think you're "walking it off." Road rash and adrenaline hide a lot.
2. Make sure the police are called and a report is made. The other driver's account of "I never saw him" needs to be on the record.
3. Photograph everything — the scene, both vehicles, the road, your gear, your injuries.
4. Get witnesses. In bike-versus-car cases, an independent witness who saw the car turn across your path can be decisive.
5. Be cautious with the driver's insurance company. There's an unfair bias against riders — an assumption you were speeding or reckless — and a quick recorded statement can feed it. You're not required to give one on the spot.
One Pennsylvania-specific point for riders
Pennsylvania's limited-tort and full-tort system has wrinkles for motorcyclists, and the way the rules treat riders can differ from how they treat occupants of a car. If you were hurt as a rider, don't assume your policy's tort election limits you the same way it would in a car crash — it's worth having someone look at the specifics. We explain the general framework in our limited-vs-full-tort guide in the Injury Help Center.
Ride the season. Just ride it like the cars can't see you — because too often, they can't.
Talk it through with someone local. If you have questions about your own situation, the attorneys at Joyce, Carmody & Moran can review what happened and explain your options — no cost for the first conversation, and no obligation. We are based in Pittston and handle injury matters throughout Luzerne County.
