Motorcyclists not only have it rough on the roads, they have it rough in terms of public perception. Many people still look upon motorcycles as a dangerous conveyance and those aboard as risk-takers. However, a new report out of Massachusetts shows that, while motorcycle accidents are certainly dangerous, it’s usually other drivers who are responsible for those crashes that occur.
The report relates the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles’s estimation that more than two out of every three motorcycle accidents are the fault of some other driver who wasn’t paying the requisite amount of attention. Drivers, unprepared for a motorcycle near them, far too often will engage in a dangerous maneuver that puts riders’ lives at risk.
This has become a particularly serious issue in an age where distraction runs rampant. When a driver is using his or her phone to talk or text, more concentration is often being placed on the device than to who’s coming through the intersection. So instead of checking the mirrors or looking twice to the left and right, a car will pull out, and the motorcyclist suffers. One Police Captain noted that this is a particularly serious issue with inexperienced teenager drivers, especially in high traffic situations.
To prevent these incidents, it’s important that motorcyclists be especially cautious. Defensive driving should be par for the course, as should safety equipment, including a helmet and riding leathers.