With warm weather and time off, summer is the season of road trips. While some opt to hit the road in minivans stuffed with snacks or in zippy convertibles with the top down, others take advantage of the season to hit the road on their motorcycles.
Just like cars, motorcycles are subject to the state laws that govern the road. Drivers must be appropriately licensed, have insurance, and keep the registration on their vehicle current. To even obtain a motorcycle license, drivers must complete an additional safety course on how to conduct themselves while driving. However, those who only drive cars are less familiar with the best practices for sharing the road with motorcycles. In light of a recent accident in New Hampshire, which resulted in the death of seven bikers, we’ve put together a few tips on how to best respect two-wheeled drivers.
1. Know Your Blindspots–And Keep an Eye on Them
Motorcycles are much smaller than traditional cars, making them all the more difficult to see in mirrors and all the more likely to be missed. If you see a motorcyclist approaching in your mirrors, try to keep an eye on them to track if they may be moving into your blind spot. Always be sure to double-check before merging or switching lanes. If someone else is in the car, ask them to give you the all clear.
2. Anticipate Intersections
Almost half of fatal motorcycle accidents occur when a vehicle was turning left in front of a motorcycle attempting to go straight. In many cases, these accidents could have been avoided by sticking to the Texas Department of Transportation’s advice to “Look Twice” for motorcycles. Always be sure to scan carefully for motorcycles across all lanes of traffic. Some motorcycles “split the lane” (meaning they drive along the traffic line), so be sure to check between cars as well.
3. Give Bikers Extra Space
Unlike traditional vehicles, motorcycles don’t have many safety features. There are no seatbelts or airbags to protect drivers in an accident. That’s why it’s all the more important to avoid cutting them off and to give them a healthy amount of space, especially if you are behind them on the road. While rear-ending a car might only result in a fender bender, it can be fatal to a motorcycle that lacks the same structural protection. As a reminder, you should leave at least a four-second gap between you and the driver ahead of you.
Extra space goes for passing too. Just because they don’t physically take up the whole lane doesn’t mean you can cut into the lane as you pass them. Treat them like a car and move completely into the adjoining lane to pass.
4. Keep Your High Beams Down
It goes without saying that, to be courteous, you should always turn your high beams down when you see another driver. But this tip is particularly important for driving with motorcyclists, who are often lower to the ground and closer to the headlights. Impairing a motorcyclist’s vision can be extremely dangerous, especially given the lack of safety precautions on their vehicle.
5. Signal, Signal, Signal
The best thing you can do to share the road with a motorcyclist is to make it extremely obvious what you are planning to do. Signal turns, brake slowly, and otherwise indicate your intentions as clearly as possible. Providing motorcyclists with as much information as possible ensures they can help protect their own safety by making informed, appropriate decisions as they navigate the road.
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