Motorcyclist, Consider Safety Tips To protect You and Your Passenger

Most states suggest that motorcyclists follow the safety standards developed by the National Motorcycle Safety Foundation. When we handle motorcycle accident cases, we frequently represent injured riders who were cut off by cars, rear-ended by cars, or otherwise hurt from the fault of another driver. While we are successful in obtaining fair compensation for injuries, we would prefer if our riding friends where not hurt in the first place. There is never enough money available to compensate for life altering injuries. In many accidents, the motorcyclist who was NOT at fault, still had an opportunity to perhaps minimize the chance of an accident. Consider these motorcycle safety tips:

1. BE CONSPICUOUS  IN THE WAY YOU OPERATE IN THE LANE OF TRAVEL:  While many motorcyclists like to ride left of center of the roadway to avoid the oil drip line, by varying your location in the lane of travel, you alert the drivers along the roadway of the presence of a motorcycle and help the tired car drivers on the roadway to observe the motorcycle as something different from a stationary along the roadway.  Frequently, they see the rider but just do not register emergency in their brain.

2.  BE CONSPICUOUS WITH COLOR: I have personally found that wearing fluorescent yellow jackets and vests really alerts the car operator of the need for attention. They seem to stop more firmly at the stop sign and not creep forward causing the motorcyclist to become uncertain of what the car is doing. Neurological studies indicate that drivers on the roadway when asked the names of the signs that they observed along the roadway are frequently unable to identify them. They saw the signs. The testing shows that their brain registered the presence of the signs in their brain, but their brain did not register this as something they had pay attention to.  The same thing happens with motorcyclists.  Car drivers frequently see the motorcyclist, but only observe it in their subconscious brain and never realize that it is actually a motor vehicle proceeding on the roadway that they have to watch for.  As a result, those drivers that pulled out almost always say, "I do not know where the bike came from.  I did not see it."  Neurologically, the driver's eyes, including the message to the brain, saw the car.  The brain did not alert the driver, however, that this was something they had to be worried about. Wearing bright colors minimizes that risk.

3.  DO NOT LAY YOUR BIKE DOWN:  Some riders still think that laying the bike down in an emergency is the safest way to minimize injury.  It is not.  Stay upright and brake hard.  In the past, motorcyclists would sometimes hear horror stories about bikers attempting a sudden stop by applying their brakes firmly with too much reliance on the front brake, causing the rider to go over the handlebars.  That rarely happens in real life.  Motorcycle safety principles recommend that when confronted with an emergency situation, the rider should firmly apply the brakes, including the front and rear brakes, to decelerate as much as possible.  Apply both brakes firmly to decelerate as much as possible in the short distance that you may have before the collision, then attempt to maneuver around the obstacle if possible.  When you cannot maneuver around the obstacle, by continuing to decelerate as much as possible when you are cut off by a vehicle, you at least reduce the momentum of the bike and reduce the velocity of the crash.  

In a recent accident such as this, a long-time Harley rider applied his brakes, dumped his bike and slid on the roadway. Unfortunately, his bike crashed into the side of the car, and he slid in front of the car, where he suffered fatal injuries.
Experts examining this accident stated that if the rider had applied the brakes continuously until the impact, assuming he could not maneuver around the obstacle, the "rider still would have had a crummy day, but he would have definitely survived the crash."

Articles contained here are not intended to provide legal advice, only providing general information. We encourage individuals to consult with an attorney regarding individual circumstances.