Experiencing the open road on a motorcycle can be exhilarating. It can also be quite dangerous considering you don’t have doors and safety belts.
Even though proper riding gear and helmets provide a level of protection, it’s important for every biker to know the common ways that crashes occur and understand how to take preventative steps to avoid them.
Here are a few to keep in mind.
Automobiles Turning Left
Considered the most prevalent way a motorcycle accident occurs, car and trucks often fail to notice bikes or misjudge their rate of speed when turning. Whether the other driver’s inattention, blind spots or poor driving skills are to blame, the person on the two-wheeler shoulders the greatest risk.
Prevention: Pay close attention to the vehicle ahead of you and watch for indications they may make a left-hand turn. Directional lights are helpful, but many drivers fail to use them responsibly. Monitor the position of their front wheel when possible. At intersections, move up parallel to the driver on two-lane roads.
Blind Corner Skids
Winding roads and sharp turns provide very short notice about road hazards such as wetness, gravel, sand or other materials that can cause a skid. These situations are particularly dangerous because a slide can send a rider into oncoming traffic or off the road entirely.
Prevention: Obviously avoiding any surface material would be a good policy. You can use strategies such as entering a bend wide and giving yourself a greater view. Perhaps the best approach is “slow-in, slow-out” of turns to gain reaction time and lessen the severity of a spill.
Cars Changing Lanes
Lane changes can be an incredibly dangerous when they happen on highways or in other fast-moving traffic. A driver ahead of you decides to quickly change lanes and impact occurs or you’re forced to veer away and lose control. Highways and big roads can reduce a four-wheeler’s awareness of a motorcycle and bikes passing through a vehicle’s blind spots is commonplace.
Prevention: It’s imperative that bikers are cognizant of these blind spots and the fact that drivers aren’t always great at using turning signals. Maintain a buffer space on your flanks whenever possible and focus on front wheels of vehicles, not the overall car or truck itself.
What precautions are you taking to avoid accidents while driving your motorcycle or other two-wheeled vehicle? Helmets, goggles and rider apparel are great but making sure you are properly insured and professionally supported by a skilled and expert legal team is also a good tip. Call Yonke Law and ask us about your legal rights while exploring the highways and byways of America. Mike and Charlie are here to help you and all of your brothers and sisters on the road. Call us today at (816) 221-6400 because it matters to us what happens to you.