While many Pennsylvania riders have put their motorcycles in storage for the winter, others are still willing to saddle up and take to the road despite the cold. Nearly a year ago on this blog, we discussed some of the ways that riders could stay warm while traveling on their motorcycles. However, staying warm isn’t simply a matter of comfort. The fact is, if your body temperature gets too low, you could be in very serious trouble.
Hypothermia is a condition that results from a significant drop in one’s core body temperature. The early symptoms of hypothermia may seem relatively benign as you could feel an uncomfortable shiver down your spine. As the condition progresses, your judgment may become impaired. Eventually, you may experience chattering teeth and uncontrolled shivering.
Perhaps most dangerously, your muscles may stiffen, and you could begin to feel dizzy or intoxicated. Clearly, such symptoms could make it very difficult to safely operate a motorcycle.
It is important to realize that you can suffer from hypothermia in above freezing temperatures. As such, you should carefully monitor yourself. If you start to wonder if you need to pull over, then do so. Take a break and warm up with some soup or hot chocolate.
It is up to you to take proper action when feeling the creeping symptoms of hypothermia. There are other hazards you may face when riding a motorcycle during the cold weather months. The roads may have invisible patches of black ice, or the sky may open up and drop snow, sleet or freezing rain. Of course, there is the ever-present danger of negligent drivers who refuse to slow down in spite of inclement conditions.
It takes the briefest of bad moments for a motorcycle accident to occur and often when a rider goes down, he or she suffers serious injuries. If you have been hurt while riding your motorcycle, a Pennsylvania personal injury attorney may be able to represent your interests as you pursue fair compensation for medical and other expenses.