Scorching weather and the dangers for bikers

It’s been a long time since we had a summer as hot as this and with the weather being almost always nice; but scorching weather and the dangers for bikers must not be ignored.

With drivers in hot and stuffy cars, getting from A to B – particularly in the dreary morning and afternoon commutes – is usually not a pleasant experience. As with any “extreme” weather, the distractions that drivers can suffer from can mean more dangerous roads for bikers, and although the duty is always on the drivers to take care and pay attention, bikers have to be aware of the dangers.

Scorching weather can increase the dangers bikers are in for a number of reasons.

The warmer climes usually mean more bikers on the roads. This in itself can mean there are greater volumes of motorcycle accidents.

You’d think in the cold and wet weather that the dangers would always be the worse, but with more bikers on the road in summer, and a number of ways in which drivers can be more distracted as opposed to at a greater risk of skidding or visibility issues, the extra danger in hotter weather is real.

There’s the glint form the sun blocking drivers’ views on the windshield. There’s the heat and stuffiness inside a burning hot metal box of a car leading to distractions from drivers getting annoyed or frustrated; especially in traffic. There’s the general distraction of the bright and sunny skies and flowing greenery around; the latter being an obvious one when driving along beautiful country roads, like the Peaks.

All in all, the distractions for drivers can be high in scorching weather and the dangers for bikers must never be ignored. Although the duty to not make a mistake is, of course, on the drivers, bikers have no alternative but to be more vigilant in circumstances where the dangers can increase. For these reasons, being extra prudent in times of scorching weather can be useful.

That being said, there’s never any time a biker can truly relax and rely on other road users it seems, does it?