It’s almost bike season, here are 5 things all car and truck drivers need to know…
It’s almost that time of year again, when the streets are cleaned off, and the road starts to heat up; in more ways the one.
Before the season starts, it’s important to review these tips, since with all that extra metal, car and truck drivers have extra responsibility for bike rider safety.
1. Over 50% of fatal motorcycle accidents involve a car or truck
And most of the time the car or truck driver is at fault. This usually happens because bikes can be hard to see, especially on grey days and in the bright sun. Take an extra few minutes to look twice, and recheck blind spots, you could be saving a life! Which brings us to number 2.
2. Motorcycles hide in your blind spots
Since bikes are narrow and much smaller, they tend to hide in blind spots, like the pillars for the roof of your vehicle, or masked by bushes and other things on the side of the road. Again, take that extra minute to look for motorcycles, shift your head to the side to see around blind spots, and check your mirrors carefully. Do this especially at intersections and when changing lanes.
3. They are closer than they appear
Bikes are small, as we’ve pointed out in 1 and 2, so they tend to look farther away that they really are, especially at night when the single headlight doesn’t help with judging distance like two headlights. So always predict they are closer than they seem. Keeping your distance will keep everyone safe, as even in a low speed collision, an accident could be fatal for the motorcyclist.
4. Keep your distance when stopping
Bikes can be slowed without using the brake, instead riders will slow down by downshifting or even letting go of the gas, and therefore, not turning on the brake light. If you are following, always keep extra distance between you and them, since you cannot always anticipate when they are going to stop, although you should always try to, especially when coming to an intersection.
As well, keep your distance when following. Too often other drivers will follow bikes close on highways like they would follow a car close to get them to move over for passing. Even though both are extremely dangerous, motorcyclists have a much worse chance in an accident at those speeds, so for the safety of everyone, keep back.
5. Don’t trust their turn signals
Unlike in cars, motorcycles usually won’t auto shut off their turn signal, so riders may forget it’s on.
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Source and more tips: Ten Things All Car & Truck Drivers Should Know About Motorcycles