ALT-4 How to Safely Share the Road with Motorcycles
A motorcyclist has less time to react to a potential accident than the driver of a motor car or truck! One wrong move and a couple of seconds, can prove fatal to a motorcyclist, where as the driver of an automobile maybe left with just a mere scratch.
There are less motorcycles on the road compared to four wheel vehicles. Most of the time, as we are driving, we are paying more attention to trucks, cars and vans...all of a sudden, a motorcycle comes up from nowhere...it is also at that same time that you decide to maneuver your vehicle into that very same lane...I have seen this a lot and it has happened to me!
A simple double check is the safest thing to do on the road way. Be aware that at any time, someone else could be thinking about that vacant space next you and that someone else, could be on a motorcyclist!
Motor bikes are a fraction of the size of a four wheeled vehicle. They are also thin because of the fact that they have two wheels. The best precaution for a motorcyclist, and I see it all the time now, is to have their head lights on and at full beam, at all times! This way, the four wheeled motorist will have time to acknowledge that the motorcyclist is real and not just a blob in the distance.
Because of the slender shape of the motorcycle, it is difficult to assess how fast it is going, especially when it is traveling head on towards you. Motorcycles can travel just as fast, if not faster than a motor car! They also have more maneuverability and can slip in and out of traffic!
When pulling out onto a main road and a motorcycle is approaching, many times, the driver of an automobile will misjudge and think that the motorcycle is further away than it actually is. It is safer to wait and let the motorcycle pass.
When you are driving in your vehicle and a motorcycle is within a car's length from you, give the same respect as you would to another four wheeled vehicle. Pull back and give the motorcyclist plenty of room! They have just as much right to occupy that space on the road as you do. Compare it to the rules of a parking lot; One can park a car in one designated area, where as the motorcyclist has an equally sized parking area for their vehicle.
We are all entitled to drive a legal vehicle on the road way, in any shape or form. We need to be more aware of the consequences and scenarios that face us. The more awareness that is paid to motorcycle safety, the better it will be for every motorist.
