Motorcycle Safety: Protect Your Precious Cargo
Tyler Hopper
AllAboutBikes Staff-Writer
The sun is shining, the road is open, and there’s smile on your face. It’s the perfect day for a bike ride, and you’re cruising on your motorcycle just like you have done so many times before. As you approach an intersection, the individual in the minivan doesn’t see you coming and pulls out in front of you. Emergency braking time! There’s not enough room! Your precious bike and your fragile body collide with the minivan. OUCH! Luckily, mom and dad left junior at home or you’d be lying on his lap in the back seat.
May is motorcycle awareness month. In 2006 there were nearly 5,000 fatalities involving motorcycles. Three-fourths of those accidents involved multiple vehicles -- motorcycles and passenger vehicles. In two-thirds of those accidents, the passenger vehicle failed to yield the right-of-way to the motorcyclist. The remaining one-forth of motorcycle accidents were single vehicle accidents -- motorcycles vs. the roadway. Most of the time rider error was the major cause of the accident; the main rider error was over braking or running wide on a curve due to excess speed or under-cornering.
While there is not a lot you can do to prepare for the other driver, there are some things.
1. Always wear proper protective riding gear. Not only will you be more comfortable, but you will be protected from road rash. I am guilty of not wearing any protective gear on those quick trips to town. Man, how stupid was I? You never know when you’ll find yourself in the scenario mentioned above.
2. Cars and trucks far out number motorcycles on the road. Some drivers don't "recognize" a motorcycle; they ignore it (usually unintentionally). Always assume that the passenger cars don’t see you, especially at an intersection or where cars could pull out on blind curves or from hidden driveways.
3. Beware of other vehicles’ blind-spots. Don’t ride in a blind-spot; keep on the throttle as you pass, unless there is another vehicle in front of you. In this instance I back off so I don’t have to ride next to the guy who is too busy texting to realize I’m there.
4. Make sure you indicate your intentions clearly, and assume that the oncoming car doesn’t see your left-hand turn signal. The moment you assume that they know you’re turning is the very moment that they have no clue you’re there. Don’t take the chance of being a bug on the windshield of a 2-ton automobile, it just doesn’t sound fun.
