When it comes to motorcycle accident prevention, it is important to know that while yes,
motorcycle accidents do in fact happen every single day, many of these are easily avoidable simply by being careful. It’s also critical to be aware of the fact that there are others on the road and so you need to know how to share the road with motorcyclists.
Some of the most common causes of motorcycle accidents include:
- An increased number of motorcycles actually being on the road. Motorcycles use less gas, and as gas prices have continued to increase a lot of people are now driving motorcycles rather than cars which impacts motorcycle safety for cars too.
- More motorcycle riders hitting the road means that now there is in essence a lot of, “new motorcycle drivers,” joining the road all at once. A lack of experience also means an increase in the risk of having an accident.
- Automobile drivers who don’t always check their blind spots before merging or switching lanes. Motorcycles are smaller than cars, and if you don’t look carefully, they can be harder for you to see.
Thankfully, there are many different ways that you can help to reduce the risk of having an accident that involves a motorcycle. And here are just a few tips for safely sharing the road with motorcycles.
- First, as a car driver, be aware that motorcycles are on the road, and as mentioned earlier, now there are even more of them out there. So be aware of their presence, and also be sure to always check your blind spots carefully.
- Watch out for bad weather. Remember that bad weather is greater on a motorcycle than on a car. Rain is physically hitting the driver’s body in addition to pelting down on their bike. So just keep in mind weather makes driving even harder on a motorcyclist than it does for a person who’s driving a car.
- Give motorcycles more room. If you hit a car from behind, yes, that’s bad, but it’s likely to cause a lot less damage than it could cause if you should hit a motorcycle from behind. That’s because a motorcyclist might be thrown off their bike, and it could end up becoming a fatal accident as a result.
- Don’t attempt to “Lane-Share.” A driver on a motorcycle has the same rights and responsibilities when comes to regards to using the actual physical space on the road itself. Don’t think, “Oh, hey, they’re small, and I have a little car, and so, I can just drive in the same lane beside the bike for a minute until I can pass them.” It’s just not worth the risk, and besides, legally that motorcycle has the exact same right to have the same space in their own lane just like a car has.
- Use your turn signal. That indicator is there for a reason. It’s important for any driver to always use their turn signal, but that’s even more true if you are on the road along with motorcycles, especially if that motorcyclist is driving behind your car.
Hopefully, these suggestions will help you prevent any mishaps on the road, and they should also help you avoid motorcycle accidents in the future.
