Driving Safely Around Motorcycles You’ve all heard the stories about nasty bike accidents on the road. The driver never saw the biker. The bikers never have a chance either. The 600 pound bike balanced precariously on two wheels doesn’t stand a chance against a 2 ton car with a center of gravity planted firmly over four. Since bikes offer almost no protection for the driver, countless lives are lost to accidents every year. It’s a tragedy of our time that everyone is trying to solve.
Check Your Blind Spots Motorcycles aren’t going anywhere soon. The bikers will never give up the freedom their cycles give them. There are few feelings of riding with the wind in your face like it in the world. The responsibility then falls to the bikers and cars alike to ensure motorcycle safety. To those driving the cars, take it upon yourself to practice good safety around them, for both your sakes. The following are a few good tips to keep in mind as the warmer temperatures encourage motorcycles out of their garages again. Double check every blind spot before you change lanes. Check first for other cars, give it a second, and then check again for a biker. Full-sized cars get lost in your blind spots. That leaves a lot of extra space for a motorcycle to hide comfortably. Although they should avoid hovering in your blind spot as often as possible, you can help them out by taking the time to double check before changing lanes. It never hurts to be extra cautious.
Be Aware and Alert Second, keep a running tab all traffic in your mirrors at all times. Know who is near you and coming up. Glance to your mirrors often to see what you can expect. When you see a motorcycle coming up, make sure you know where he or she is at all times.
Be aware of the cars around you. You will significantly reduce your chance of losing anyone where you’re blind. Third, increase your following distance behind bikes. Motorcycles have a much shorter stopping distance than cars. Should they need to stop on a dime, they could do it, but that doesn’t mean that you can. Stay far enough back to allow you to stop in time as well. This will also protect them should they have an accident and be thrown from the bike. It’s imperative that you be able to stop before you reach their location if they are to make it out of that accident. Increase your following distance by about two to three seconds to keep them safe. You will never regret being too careful; you will only regret not being more attentive. Just Insure It is encouraging drivers to practice safe driving habits around bikes. This Weston car insurance agent can help you pay the financial obligations of an accident, but it cannot heal the emotional scars that follow. Make it your goal to step out of the comfort zone and become a more alert driver. Don’t let the monotony of the task endanger the lives of those nearby. Photo Credit: Mark Z., StevenV, Manik. via PhotoPin cc