DuSable Lake Shore Drive Motorcycle Accidents: The Risks and Your Rights

The Beauty and the Danger of DuSable Lake Shore Drive

Few rides in the country beat DuSable Lake Shore Drive on a clear morning, the lake on one side and the skyline on the other. But that same stretch is one of the most dangerous places to ride a motorcycle in Chicago. The sweeping curves near Oak Street, the constant lane changes, the sun glare off the water, and drivers gawking at the view instead of the road all add up to a high-risk corridor for riders.

Why the Drive Is So Risky for Motorcyclists

• The curves. The bends near Oak Street and the Museum Campus reward smooth riding and punish distracted drivers who drift across lanes.
• Speed and merging. Traffic moves fast and entrances feed in quickly, so cars merge without checking for a bike in the lane.
• Glare and weather. Sun off Lake Michigan and sudden lake-effect rain can change traction and visibility in seconds.
• Distraction. The view that makes the Drive special is also what pulls drivers' eyes off the road.

The Most Common Crash on the Drive

The classic Lake Shore Drive motorcycle crash is the lane-change collision: a driver moves over without seeing the rider beside or just behind them. Because there are no cross streets to assign clear fault, these cases often turn into a dispute, and the rider gets blamed.

What to Do If You Go Down on the Drive

• Get to safety and call 911. The Drive has no shoulder in many spots, so move out of the live lane if you can.
• Ask for a Chicago Police crash report. The Illinois Traffic Crash Report is key evidence.
• Photograph the scene, the vehicles, and your injuries.
• Get medical care even if you feel okay, because adrenaline hides serious injuries.
• Do not admit fault or accept a quick insurance offer.

Your Rights as an Injured Rider

Illinois uses modified comparative negligence (735 ILCS 5/2-1116). If you are 50 percent or less at fault, you can recover, with your award reduced by your share of fault. If you are more than 50 percent at fault, you recover nothing, which is exactly why insurers try to pin the blame on riders after a lane-change crash. Traffic and Chicago Department of Transportation cameras along the Drive can be powerful evidence, but the footage is often overwritten within days, so acting fast matters. You have two years from the date of the crash to file a personal injury claim in Illinois (735 ILCS 5/13-202).

Ride the Drive, Know Your Rights

DuSable Lake Shore Drive is one of the best rides in Chicago, and you should be able to enjoy it. If a careless driver takes you down, Derek Martin and the Driver Defense Team are here for you. As part of Ride Nation Chicago, we stand with riders. Enter the free BikersWin $20,000 motorcycle giveaway today, and if you have been hurt, contact Derek Martin and the Driver Defense Team for a free case review.

This article is attorney advertising and general information, not legal advice, and does not create an attorney-client relationship.