More than half of fatal motorcycle crashes involve another vehicle, according to the Motorcycle Safety Foundation.
“Because of its small size, a motorcycle can be easily hidden in a car’s blind spots (door/roof pillars) or masked by objects or backgrounds outside a car (bushes, fences, bridges, etc),” the MSF says.
The foundation offers tips:
- Carefully check for motorcycles when you’re changing lanes or turning.
- Know that a motorcycle is often closer than it looks and may be going faster than you think.
- Allow more following distance – about three or four seconds – when driving behind a motorcycle. “Motorcyclists often slow by downshifting or merely rolling off the throttle, thus not activating the brake light,” the MSF says.
- Understand that motorcyclists may adjust their position in a lane so you can see them easier, or to minimize the effects of road debris, passing vehicles and wind.
- Make sure a motorcycle’s turn signal is for real. “Turn signals on a motorcycle usually are not self-canceling, thus some riders (especially beginners) sometimes forget to turn them off after a turn or lane change,” the MSF says.
- Don’t expect a motorcyclist to always be able to quickly move out of the way.
“When a motorcycle is in motion, see more than the motorcycle,” the MSF says. “See the person under the helmet, who could be your friend, neighbor or relative.”
