Motorcycle Safety on Route 22: What Riders Need to Know

Motorcycle Safety on Route 22: What Riders Need to Know

Route 22 is one of the most heavily traveled highways in eastern Pennsylvania, and it’s one of the most dangerous for motorcyclists. Stretching from Easton through Allentown and beyond, this corridor carries a mix of tractor-trailers, commuter traffic, and construction zones that create hazardous conditions for anyone on two wheels.

In 2024, Pennsylvania recorded 3,298 motorcycle crashes statewide, resulting in 218 fatalities. Motorcyclists account for just 3% of all traffic crashes in the state, but they represent 20% of all fatal collisions. Those numbers tell you everything about the vulnerability riders face every time they hit the road.

If you’ve been injured in a motorcycle accident on Route 22 or anywhere in the Lehigh Valley, the motorcycle accident lawyers at Leeson & Leeson fight for riders’ rights. We understand the unique challenges motorcycle accident cases present, and we know how to hold negligent drivers accountable.

Why Route 22 Is Dangerous for Motorcyclists

Route 22 wasn’t designed with motorcyclists in mind. The highway presents a unique combination of hazards that make it particularly treacherous for riders:

• High-speed merge points. Route 22 features numerous on-ramps and off-ramps where vehicles merge at highway speeds. Drivers entering the highway often fail to check for motorcycles in adjacent lanes, creating sudden collision risks.
• Heavy truck traffic. Route 22 is a major commercial corridor. Tractor-trailers and delivery vehicles generate turbulent wind gusts that can destabilize a motorcycle, and their large blind spots make it easy for truck drivers to miss a rider entirely.
• Construction zones. PennDOT regularly conducts maintenance and improvement projects along Route 22. Shifted lanes, uneven pavement, steel plates, and loose gravel are all serious hazards for motorcyclists.
• The Route 22/Route 33 interchange near Easton. This complex interchange sees high volumes of traffic merging and diverging at speed. It’s been the site of multiple fatal crashes, including a wrong-way collision in October 2023 that killed one person and injured two others.
• Elevated sections and wind exposure. Parts of Route 22 run on elevated roadways where crosswinds can be powerful and unpredictable, particularly on bridges and overpasses.
• Limited shoulders. Many sections of Route 22 have narrow or nonexistent shoulders, leaving riders with nowhere to go if they need to take evasive action.

Common Causes of Motorcycle Crashes on Route 22

Understanding why motorcycle crashes happen on Route 22 helps injured riders build stronger legal claims. The most common causes include:

• Left-turn collisions. The single most common type of motorcycle accident occurs when a vehicle making a left turn fails to see an oncoming motorcycle. These crashes often happen at intersections along Route 22’s surface-level sections.
• Lane-change sideswipes. Drivers on Route 22 frequently change lanes without checking blind spots. A motorcycle is significantly smaller than a car and can easily disappear in a driver’s blind spot.
• Rear-end collisions. When traffic suddenly slows on Route 22, distracted or tailgating drivers may not stop in time. A rear-end collision that might be a fender-bender between two cars can be catastrophic for a motorcyclist.
• Road debris and hazards. Loose gravel, tire fragments, spilled cargo, and potholes are far more dangerous for motorcycles than for enclosed vehicles. A pothole that a car barely notices can send a motorcycle out of control.
• Distracted driving. Texting, phone use, and GPS navigation continue to be leading causes of crashes across all vehicle types. Distracted drivers are far less likely to notice a motorcycle.
• Impaired driving. Alcohol and drug impairment reduces reaction time and decision-making ability, making impaired drivers especially dangerous to motorcyclists.

Pennsylvania Motorcycle Laws Every Rider Should Know

Pennsylvania’s motorcycle laws affect both your safety on the road and your legal rights if you’re injured in a crash. Here’s what riders need to understand:

Helmet Law (Title 75 § 3525)

Pennsylvania has a partial helmet law. All riders under 21 must wear a DOT-approved helmet. Riders 21 and older are exempt if they’ve held a motorcycle license for at least two full calendar years or completed a PennDOT-approved or Motorcycle Safety Foundation safety course. Passengers follow the same rules.

Here’s the critical point for injury claims: even if you’re legally exempt from wearing a helmet, not wearing one can affect your case. Insurance companies will argue that your head injuries would’ve been less severe had you worn a helmet, potentially reducing your compensation under Pennsylvania’s comparative negligence rule. PennDOT data shows helmets reduce the risk of fatal head injuries by 37–42%, and unhelmeted riders face three times the risk of traumatic brain injury.

Eye Protection

All motorcycle riders and passengers must wear approved eye protection (Title 75 § 3525(b)), unless riding a three-wheeled motorcycle with an enclosed cab.

Insurance Requirements

Pennsylvania requires motorcyclists to carry minimum liability insurance: $15,000 per person/$30,000 per accident for bodily injury and $5,000 for property damage. However, these minimums are dangerously low for serious crashes. Riders should carry higher limits and uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage to protect themselves.

Injuries Unique to Motorcycle Accidents

Motorcyclists have no steel frame, no seatbelt, and no airbag protecting them. When a crash happens, the rider absorbs the full force of impact. That’s why motorcycle injuries tend to be far more severe than injuries in car accidents:

• Road rash. When a rider slides across pavement, the friction can strip away skin and tissue down to the bone. Severe road rash often requires skin grafts, causes permanent scarring, and carries a high risk of infection.
• Traumatic brain injuries (TBI). Even with a helmet, the forces involved in a motorcycle crash can cause concussions, contusions, and diffuse axonal injuries. Without a helmet, the risk of fatal head injury increases dramatically.
• Spinal cord injuries. The impact of being thrown from a motorcycle can fracture vertebrae and damage the spinal cord, potentially causing partial or complete paralysis. Joseph F. Leeson, III, Esq., brings a unique advantage to catastrophic injury cases. As both an attorney and a CPA (Inactive), he calculates the full lifetime economic impact of spinal cord injuries with precision that insurance companies can’t easily dispute.
• Broken bones and fractures. Legs, arms, collarbones, and pelvises are particularly vulnerable. Compound fractures often require multiple surgeries and extended rehabilitation.
• Internal injuries. Blunt force trauma can cause internal bleeding, organ damage, and other life-threatening injuries that may not be immediately apparent.
• Biker’s arm. When a rider instinctively extends their arms during a crash, the impact can cause nerve damage in the upper arm, sometimes resulting in permanent loss of function.

If you’ve been injured on Route 22, getting to a Level I trauma center like Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest is critical. Prompt medical treatment improves your health outcomes and creates the medical documentation you need to support your legal claim.

Your Legal Rights as an Injured Motorcyclist

Pennsylvania law protects motorcyclists the same way it protects other drivers. If another driver’s negligence caused your crash, you have the right to pursue compensation for your injuries. Here’s what you need to know:

• Comparative negligence applies. Under Pennsylvania’s modified comparative negligence rule (42 Pa.C.S. § 7102), you can recover compensation as long as your fault doesn’t reach 51% or more. Your compensation is reduced by your percentage of fault.
• Not wearing a helmet doesn’t bar your claim. If you’re legally exempt from wearing a helmet under § 3525, the defense can’t use that alone to deny your claim. However, they may argue it contributed to the severity of your injuries.
• Multiple parties may be liable. In Route 22 crashes, potential defendants include the other driver, their employer (if driving for work), a trucking company, PennDOT (for road defects or construction zone hazards), and even a vehicle or parts manufacturer.
• The statute of limitations is two years. You must file your personal injury claim within two years of the accident (42 Pa.C.S. § 5524). Missing this deadline means losing your right to compensation.

How Leeson & Leeson Fights for Injured Riders

At Leeson & Leeson, we don’t buy into the anti-motorcycle bias that insurance companies love to exploit. We know that in the vast majority of motorcycle-vehicle collisions, the other driver is at fault. We investigate aggressively, build airtight cases, and take them to trial when insurance companies won’t pay fair value.

Here’s what sets our firm apart:

• $1.8 million jury verdict secured. We don’t just settle. When insurance companies lowball our clients, we take the fight to the courtroom.
• Million Dollar Advocates Forum and Million Dollar Trial Lawyers member. Joseph Leeson has been recognized for achieving exceptional results in high-value personal injury cases.
• Super Lawyers Rising Stars 2026. Named among the top up-and-coming attorneys in Pennsylvania for personal injury litigation.
• Attorney-CPA advantage. Joseph F. Leeson, III holds both a law degree and a CPA credential. That dual expertise means your economic damages—future medical costs, lost earning capacity, adaptive equipment—are calculated with a level of precision that holds up under scrutiny.
• No upfront fees. We handle motorcycle accident cases on a contingency basis. You pay nothing unless we recover compensation for you.

If you’ve been hurt in a motorcycle crash on Route 22, at the Route 33 interchange, or anywhere in the Lehigh Valley, contact Leeson & Leeson today.

Frequently Asked Questions