Frequent Errors by Motorists and Motorcyclists That Cause Collisions
There’s nothing that quite compares with the feeling of hitting the open road on a motorcycle, with the wind in your face and that raw power at your fingertips. There’s also a bit of a thrill in knowing that you’re a bit vulnerable, that you’re putting it on the line. But you don’t want to take unreasonable risks. You want to take the right steps to ensure that you don’t do things that put your safety in jeopardy, and you want to pay attention for some of the common mistakes other motorists make.
The Most Common Causes of Motorcycle Accidents
According to statistics compiled by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), more than 5,000 motorcyclists are killed nationwide every year and almost 100,000 people suffer injury in motorcycle accidents. Though more than half of all motorcycle wrecks are caused by the negligence or carelessness of other drivers, bikers often make mistakes that lead to serious injury or death.
Mistakes Made by Other Motorists
A significant percentage of the motorcycle accidents caused by other drivers stem from a lack of attention. Even in the wake of national public awareness campaigns, many motorists will simply claim (often truthfully) that they didn’t see the bike or the motorcyclist. That can lead to a variety of car-bike collisions:
- Left-turn accidents—The NHTSA estimates that almost half of all motorcycle collisions with other vehicles occur either when a biker turns left into the path of an oncoming car, or an oncoming car turns left into the path of a biker. These collisions commonly occur at intersections where there are no traffic signs or lights, or where the biker is traveling through a green light and a motorist makes a left turn into his or her path.
- Careless or negligent lane changes—It’s common for a motorist to observe trucks or passenger vehicles in a side-view mirror when attempting a lane change, but many fail to pay sufficient attention to confirm the presence of a motorcycle
- Excessive speed—When motorists fail to observe a biker in front of them, they can approach an intersection at a higher rate of speed, potentially causing a rear-end crash due to a high rate of speed. A speeding vehicle, especially a truck, may create a draft when passing a motorcycle, causing loss of control.
- Failure to keep adequate distance behind the motorcycle—It’s common for other motorists to follow too closely behind a bike, leading to rear-end collisions
Common Mistakes by Motorcyclists
Bikers can also make many of the same errors in judgment that other drivers make.
- Illegal left turns—A biker may miscalculate the distance or speed of an oncoming car, or may simply fail to yield to the right-of-way of oncoming traffic
- Lane splitting—Though legal in many states, this practice, where a motorcyclist rides between lanes to pass stopped or slow-moving vehicles, can be highly risky. Make certain you maximize visibility, so that motorists don’t change lanes in front of you or as you pass.
- Failing to properly maintain a bike—To maximize your safety, you need to know that your brakes work, all turn signals and other lights are functional, and that you can properly throttle the engine
- Driving under poor road conditions—Whether it’s weather or road construction, you need to exercise greater caution on a bike when road conditions are not optimal.
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