5 Common Motorcycle Accidents and How to Avoid Them
Brian O Sutter
Motorcycle Crash
Riding a motorcycle can be thrilling, but it can also be pretty dangerous too. Thankfully, bikes also come with a lot of great tools to keep you safe including strong brakes, smooth handling, obstruction-free vision, and some pretty ‘grippy’ tires. Here’s how you can take advantage of these useful tools to avoid a few very common motorcycle accidents.
1. A Car Turns Left In Front Of You
The most common motorcycle accident happens when a driver fails to see you while turning in front of you at an intersection. Whether you were in their blind spot or the driver simply failed to be on the lookout for motorcycles, this happens more often than you think.
How to avoid it: Be on the lookout for any signs that a driver may try and turn in front of you, such as a gap in traffic near a parking lot or a car that is waiting to turn on the intersection. Whatever the situation you need to slow down, cover your brakes and be ready to take evasive action. Even if things look fine, as a motorcyclist, you need to be on the defensive.
2. Hitting Gravel In A Blind Corner
You are out riding on the nice smooth road and then out of nowhere you hit a patch of sand, gravel, leaves, etc. Once that front tire hit the patch, you wipe out and that’s it.
How to avoid it: The best way to avoid this situation is just to not hit it in the first place. Make sure to ride at a pace where you can take quick action when you spot a rough patch of any sort, especially in an area you are unfamiliar with. If you need to enter a corner, do so wide in order to increase your view of the road.
3. Entering A Corner Too Fast
You are turning around the corner and then all of a sudden it begins tightening too quickly for you to react. Just like that, you find yourself in an accident.
How to avoid it: Never ride quicker than you can see. Use visual clues along the road like signs or telephone polls to give you an idea of the road’s direction, even if that road seems to be disappearing over a blind crest. However, if you to find yourself going too fast, the best approach to take is to trust your bike and just ride it out.
4. A Car Changes Lane Into You
So you are riding calmly into traffic when a car in another lane is headed straight into you. Sound crazy? Well you must remember that motorcycles aren’t easy to spot and most drivers aren’t even looking for them out on the road.
How to avoid it: Stay aware of where blind spots are and keep out of them as much as you can. If you can see a driver’s eyes in their car mirrors, then they should be able to spot you too. Unfortunately, this does not always mean that they are aware that you are there. This is why you need to be stay aware of situations where lane changes become more possible and look out for signs of a car trying to change lanes.
5. Hit From Behind By A Car
You slowly come to a halt at a stop sign to avoid pedestrians walking by when the driver behind you hits you at high speed. After all, the most common kind of car accident is a fender bender. Unfortunately, this is not a kind of accident that motorcyclists can survive.
How to avoid it: When you need to stop, try to move to the side rather than the center of the lane. Keep flashing your brake light, the bike in gear, and your right hand on the throttle. Pay attention to cars that might be coming up behind you and be ready to move if it seems like someone might plow into you. You need to be especially aware of situations where the visibility is poor or when there is an increase of drunk driving.