Tips for Motorcycle Riders

1. Intersections are the worst! They are the most common places for accidents to happen. Watch out for vehicles pulling out from driveways or side streets, and turning in front of you at intersections. You might not see them—and they might not see you.
2. Take a motorcycle safety training course. Over 90 percent of people involved in accidents have not taken any kind of safety training course. Find one on the Motorcycle Safety Foundation website.
3. Avoid drinking and driving. About half of all fatal single-vehicle crashes involve alcohol. Sober drivers have quicker reflexes and can counter-steer or swerve much more effectively.
4. Wear a helmet to reduce your chances of dying. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that helmets are about 37 percent effective at preventing motorcycle deaths and 67 percent effective at preventing brain injuries. Your state law may not require you to wear a helmet, but the responsibility is yours to try to stay alive!
5. Try to be seen. Turn on your headlamps even in daytime. Wear high visibility colors during the day and reflective gear at night.

Tips for Other Drivers

1. Check around you for motorcycles. The leading cause of motorcycle accidents is the failure of other drivers to detect motorcycles in traffic.
2. Remember that motorcyclists aren’t looking for an accident. They usually get into accidents while they’re going about 30 mph and on a quick trip to run errands or see friends.
3.  Wear sunglasses for their safety. Glare limits your ability to spot motorcycles.
4. Give them room. The typical motorcycle accident allows the motorcyclist less than 2 seconds to complete all collision avoidance action. More space = more reaction time.
5. Motorcyclists are squishy. While passenger vehicles provide protection in the event of a crash, motorcycles do not. Studies show 98% of multiple vehicle collisions and 96% of single vehicle accidents result in some kind of injury to the motorcycle rider; 45% result in more than a minor injury. Only 40% of accident-involved motorcycle riders wear helmets at the time of the accident. 

Scary side note – Less than 10% of motorcycle riders involved in accidents had insurance of any kind to provide medical care or replace property.

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References

Little known facts about motorcycle accidents. (2016). Hg.org.  https://www.hg.org/article.asp?id=31124

Motorcycles. (2016). Insurance Institute for Highway Safety Highway Loss Data Institute. http://www.iihs.org/iihs/topics/t/motorcycles/fatalityfacts/motorcycles#Alcohol-involvement