Drive Safely Around Motorcycles
Confession time, my father and mother proudly ride a Harley all over the city. It’s a cruiser and yes they have been even known to wear the occasional chaps. My father has rode a motorcycle almost his whole life, he remembers the time that helmets were not mandatory.
What makes me bring this up? I have seen at ton of motorcycle accidents these last couple of weeks. They involve cruising type motorcycles for the most part and not the speed demons we sometimes see on the major highways. I would say 9/10 times the accident is due to the car error and not the motorcycle. The problem is that a person on a motorcycle suffers exponentially more damage than those sheltered by a vehicle.
So to all you drivers out there that may be cruising next to my parents or anyone else on a motorcycle, remember the follow:
- Motorcycles can easily fall in a blind spot, so be super vigilant when driving beside any motorcycle. Check and double check around you.
- Motorcycles are smaller by nature so they may look farther away than they are. Do not cut in front of them thinking you have plenty of room. Try and anticipate that they are close by and leave more than the anticipated needed room.
- Do not follow closely behind them. They stop differently than a car and may need more space. Leave ample space between you and the bike.
- If a motorcyclist is changing lanes, it is not solely to weave in traffic. Often times they want to just be seen better by other cars.
Do not get inpatient or frustrated. Allow for these differentials in the roadway. Remember you do not want to be responsible for someone’s injury or death.