Pay Attention! - A Note to Cars; From Motorcycles

There's nothing like hitting the open road - whether you're on two wheels or four. After the cold months, with little to no motorcycle traffic on our roadways, some of you may have gotten complacent and forgotten about motorcyclists. Now that riding season is upon us, car drivers may find themselves wondering about the best way to drive around motorcycles. Here are some tips that will help with that:

When making turns, look for traffic… Then look AGAIN for bikers!

This is the #1 motorcycle safety tip!! The vast majority of car vs. bike accidents happen in intersections when a car turns right in front of a biker. You can imagine how this turns out for the motorcycle rider. It is imperative, before making a left turn; to be sure traffic is clear. THEN look again specifically for motorcycles! Vehicles’ turning in front of motorcycles is the number one cause of fatal accidents for motorcycle riders. Please, look twice and save a life!

Let them swerve

You’ll notice that motorcycle riders often weave within their lane from side to side. They have good reason to do this. For those of us in cars and trucks, running over a pothole means we get jarred and at the very worse, screws up the alignment on our vehicle. For a biker, though, missing a pothole could literally mean the difference between life and death! And that’s just the start! Factor in road kill, oil spots, and other types of road debris. Some roads can literally be an obstacle course for them. Many bikers like to change position in their lane to stay out of peoples blind spots too.

The best thing to do is leave them as much space as possible. There are many things bikers need to swerve for. So don’t crowd them. Give them as much room as possible. If you want to pass them, do it in a hurry and get out of their way.

Stay back

When riding behind a motorcycle, increase your following distance. Leave an extra buffer zone. Why? For one, motorcycles have a much quicker stopping distance than cars. You can’t stop as quickly as they can. If you rear end another car, the driver of that car is well protected. Motorcycle riders are completely exposed. Even a minor collision can have very serious effects. So practice all of your defensive driving techniques two fold around bikers.

Make a conscious note

During unusually warm weather during the winter months, and during all days of the spring, summer, and fall, make a mental note that bikers are out there. Just as we remind ourselves to watch for kids in neighborhoods, we should remind ourselves of bikers. Share the road. Bikers can only do so much to protect themselves. Let’s help them out by specifically looking out for them. The end result is you being a safer driver all around. If you’re looking specifically for small motorcycles, you’re sure to see everything else!

Let em’ enjoy the freedom. Let em’ enjoy the ride. Let’s keep our riders safe. They are our friends, neighbors, family members, and co-workers. Follow these motorcycle safety tips, share the road, and please, drive safely!

Rogers, M. 2/30/2015. http://www.drive-safely.net/motorcycle-safety-tips/