It’s no accident that May is Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month because as the weather gets nicer and riders hit the streets, the number of wrecks involving bikes and other vehicles skyrockets.

What are some tips for safely sharing the road with motorcycles?

-Take extra care when making a left turn. It is safest to let the motorcycle pass to avoid turning in front of the rider.

-Pay special attention at intersections. Nearly one in three motorcycle fatalities happens at a roadway intersection.

-Give driving your full attention. Even a momentary distraction, such as answering a phone call or changing the radio station, can have deadly consequences.

-Look twice when changing lanes. Check mirrors, blind spots, and always use turn signals.

-Give motorcycles room when passing them. Move over to the passing lane and don’t crowd the motorcyclist’s full lane.

-Stay back. If you’re behind a motorcycle, always maintain a safe following distance. When a motorcyclist downshifts instead of applying the brake to slow down, it can catch drivers off guard since there are no brake lights to signal reduced speed.

-Slow down. Obey posted speed limits and drive to conditions.

-Take an extra moment to look for motorcycles. Because of its small size, a motorcycle can be easily hidden in a car’s blind spots, so check — then check again — before changing lanes or making a turn.

-Predict a motorcycle is closer than it looks. A motorcycle may look farther away than it is because of its small size, and it may be difficult to judge a motorcycle’s speed. When checking traffic to turn at an intersection or into (or out of) a driveway, predict a motorcycle is closer than it appears.

-Keep a safe distance. Motorcyclists often slow by rolling off the throttle or downshifting, thus not activating the brake light, so allow more following distance, about 3 to 4 seconds.

-Understand lane shifting. Motorcyclists often adjust position within a lane to be seen more easily and to minimize effects of road debris, passing vehicles, and wind. Understand that motorcyclists adjust lane position for a purpose, not to show off or to allow you to share the lane with them.

-See the person. When a motorcycle is in motion, see more than the motorcycle, see the person under the helmet, who could be your friend, neighbor, or relative.


Source: Texas Department of Transportation