Drivers still finding it difficult to spot motorcyclists on the road

First published by Author on May 03, 2018 in the following categories: Bike Safety and tagged with road safety

Can you spot motorcyclists on the road? Have you ever had a near-miss with a biker because they were harder to spot than a larger road vehicle? Do you actively look out for them?

As a firm of injury lawyers who specialise in motorbike accident compensation claims, we’d rather see safer roads than personal injury cases. As we always point out, the lack of safety afforded to a biker when compared to a car driver means the kind of injuries a biker sustains are often serious.

There’s lots that road users can to do spot a motorcyclist more easily – and that’s what this blog is about.

Stop looking for cars: look for bikers

Don’t let your eyes only ever look out for cars or larger vehicles. There are plenty of motorcyclists and pushbikes out there, especially as the weather is warming and we head in to the summer months. Drivers need to avoid just looking out for cars and must specifically look for motorcyclists on the road.

Don’t assume the high-visibility jackets and flashing lights will help you!

Bikers ought to wear high-visibility clothing to make themselves more visible on the roads, no matter the weather. That being said, drivers must never assume that will always be the case. Simply looking out for high-vis clothing and flashing biker lights isn’t enough.

Taking more care in danger zones: junctions and lane-changing

The typical danger zones where it can be incredibly important for a driver to be able to make sure they spot a motorcyclist is at junctions and when changing lanes.

Taking extra care to specifically look out for motorcyclists at these accident hotspots is important. It only takes mere seconds to take the extra care needed to save a life.

Never assume speed

It can be hard to judge the speed of a motorcyclist, so speed must never be assumed when a biker is approaching; especially in those danger zones referenced above.

Lastly, a little game for the kids…

Want to keep the kids entertained on a long car journey? Get them involved in a point-scoring battle where the aim of the game is to see how many motorcyclists they can spot on the roads!

We’re certainly no experts in child psychology, but teaching them at a young age to have a keen eye for bikers may help them whey they’ve flown the nest and they’re on the roads themselves!

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