Each year during May, Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month emphasizes the importance of safety gear for riders and the need for drivers to remember to share the road.
Per mile traveled, motorcyclists are 16 times more likely than auto occupants to die in a traffic collisions and four times as likely to be injured. Only 20 percent of car crashes result in injury or death. That figure jumps to an astounding 80 percent for motorcycles.
What riders can do: During a crash, the most important factor in reducing injury is personal protection for the motorcyclist. Leather jackets, gloves, trousers, proper footwear and eyewear provide protection. Helmets are the most important safety equipment.
The majority of crashes with other vehicles are not the motorcyclist’s fault. These are a few things drivers of other vehicles can do to prevent a crash:
* When you change lanes or enter a major thoroughfare, make a visual check for motorcycles. They can easily disappear into a vehicle’s blind spots.
* Allow a four-second following distance to avoid hitting the motorcyclist if he or she falls.
* Allow the motorcycle the full lane width.
* When making a turn, check for motorcycles.
* Remember that potholes, gravel, wet or slippery surfaces and pavement seams can cause motorcyclists to suddenly change speed or direction.
Image by Peter Morris
