According to the National Safety Council (NSC), 6,218 motorcyclists died in accidents in a recent year. Motorcycle riders have less protection than traditional vehicle drivers and passengers, and they are harder to see on the road. While only 3 percent of registered vehicles are motorcycles, motorcyclists account for 14 percent of traffic fatalities (NSC).
Since motorcycle riders face serious dangers on the road, advocating for motorcycle safety awareness is crucial to reducing the rate of devastating, life-altering motorcycle accidents. Here’s how everyone can do their part to help make our roads safer for all.
Key Safety Tips for Motorcyclists
Here are some important tips you can follow to keep yourself safe and protect yourself in the event of an accident:
- Check your route: Check weather and traffic conditions along your planned route and adjust your departure time or route to avoid traffic jams or adverse weather.
- Inspect your bike before riding: Check your bike for damage or wear and tear. This includes inspecting fluid levels and tire pressure and confirming the functionality of brakes, lights, and horns.
- Make yourself visible: Wear brighter-colored clothing, place reflective tape on your jacket and helmet, and ride with your headlight on to make yourself more visible to other motorists.
- Brush up on your riding skills: If you take a season or two off from riding, refresh your riding skills by practicing in an empty parking lot or on a quiet street. You can also take a motorcycle safety refresher course.
- Wear protective gear: Always wear a DOT-approved helmet, a face shield or eye goggles, gloves, boots, riding armor or leather, a long shirt, and long pants to protect yourself from crash injuries.
Safety Tips for Other Road Users
Other motorists can do their part in reducing motorcycle accidents by following these safety tips:
- Leave extra following distance behind a motorcycle: Motorcycles need much less braking distance than other vehicles. A driver who does not account for this dynamic risks colliding with a motorcyclist ahead of them should that motorcyclist have to throw on the brakes.
- Remember that motorcycles can seem farther away due to their small size: Combined with their faster acceleration, drivers can have difficulty judging how close a motorcycle is when determining whether they need to yield the right of way to a rider. Drivers should always assume that a motorcycle travels faster and is closer than it appears.
- Check blind spots before turning or changing lanes: Motorcycles can easily slip into a driver’s blind spot. Drivers should check their blind spots for motorcycles by physically moving their heads to change their angle of view in their side mirrors before changing lanes or turning. Drivers should also signal lane changes and turn early to alert nearby motorcyclists.
Legal Aspects of Motorcycle Safety
Drivers who ignore basic road safety rules risk causing accidents for which they can be held legally responsible. An experienced Pensacola motorcycle accident lawyer can help an injured biker pursue a claim for compensation against an at-fault driver who hit them.
Contact Our Pensacola Motorcycle Accident Attorneys for Help
Unfortunately, no amount of safety awareness can entirely prevent the risk of accidents. If you’ve been hurt in a motorcycle accident someone else caused, contact Cardoso Law, PLLC, today. A Pensacola motorcycle accident lawyer with our firm is standing by to review your case and advise you on your options at no upfront cost or obligation.
