Watching Out For Motorcyclists
One of the least safe things to ride on the road is the motorcycle
. The rider is almost completely unprotected and can travel at high speeds.
With confusing and high traffic volumes, many things could go wrong that would result in a severe accident and perhaps the death of the motorcyclist. What makes things worse is that cars and trucks do not take motorcyclists seriously or watch out for their safety.
There are many other cars and trucks than motorcycles and they are much bigger. It may seem easy to know a motorcyclist out of the way and it is.
However, there are serious consequences for doing so. Even if drivers do not maliciously ignore motorcyclists, they do tend not to see them or recognize them for what they are.
Most of the time, this is done without meaning to. It is important that cars and trucks watch out for motorcyclists and be careful around them because they are smaller and unprotected.
One of the best times to practice looking for motorcycles and recognizing them is at intersections. One problem many motorcyclists run into is that they have the right of way, but the car turning left did not see them and started turning as the motorcycle kept coming.
This leads to another common problem related to motorcyclists. This problem is that because they are smaller, many drivers think that they are farther away than they actually are.
Even if the driver in the example saw the motorcycle, he or she may think they had enough time to turn before it arrived at the intersection because of this. The small size of the motorcycle can also lead to other problems.
For example, cars and trucks most often miss motorcycles because they can hide in the blind spots. In addition, they often blend in with other things outside the car, particularly at night.
While some cyclists may appear to move slower than they really are, others appear to move faster than they really are because people assume that all motorcyclists speed. Either misjudgment can result in problems if you are not careful.
Another thing that many drivers do not realize is that a brake light does not necessarily come on in a motorcycle when they are slowing down. You will need to be careful not to back end one if you are following it because of this reason.
Many motorcyclists like to slow down by downshifting or rolling off the throttle, which results in no use of the brake light. When you realize this, you will know that you need to follow behind a cyclist by an additional three or four seconds so that you have time to realize they are slowing down.
Landmarks, such as intersections or stop signs, can also help you predict when a cyclist is going to slow down. It is also important to realize that cyclists do not have the special feature that cars do which turn off their turn signals after use.
As a result, many beginning motorcyclists forget to turn off their blinkers. You may keep expecting them to slow down and turn, but they may simply have been forgetful.
In addition, motorcyclists can maneuver and swerve throughout an entire lane without being a problem. However, this can confuse drivers because it can seem like they are going to switch lanes when they do not.
Motorcyclists change positions in their lane so that they will be noticed by other drivers. This is not a showoff kind of being noticed by drivers, but maybe the cyclist want to switch lanes and is simply moving over so the cars in the other lane can see him or her and his or her intended move.
Of the many disadvantages that a motorcycle has, its one advantage is that it can move easily to avoid things. Despite this ability, do not expect cyclists to be able to get out of the way in time if something happens.
When it is icy or slick out, you should be especially careful to begin stopping early so you will not slide into a cyclist that is ahead of you. As previously stated, motorcyclists are unprotected and what may be a simple bumper dent on a car could be much more serious for a cyclist.
Due to how unprotected they are, it is a very good idea to pretend a cyclist is a person that is moving very fast rather than another piece of technology. This way you will be more mindful of them and you will be able to watch out for their safety.
by: Tom Selwick
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