Motorcycles are only a tiny fraction of the vehicles registered in the United States. In theory, there should be very few motorcycle crashes occurring on public roads. Unfortunately, motorcycle riders have disproportionate representation among those who die in traffic collisions. Motorcycle riders are also at increased risk of severe or catastrophic injuries when compared with the general public.
Many motorcycle riders are more proactive about safety than those in larger vehicles because they understand that one traffic violation is all that it takes to cause a potentially deadly crash. Sadly, the misconduct of others in traffic could undermine the effectiveness of cautious motorcycle operation.
Riders are essentially at the mercy of the bad conduct of others in traffic. They may need to adopt defensive driving habits to limit their risk levels. There is a safety trick that many defensive driving professionals teach that could potentially save someone’s life on their motorcycle.
Riders should pretend that they are invisible
When people who cause motorcycle crashes have to explain themselves, they all tend to offer the exact same excuse. Specifically, they claim that they never saw the motorcycle. Even though motorcycles are large and loud in many cases, drivers may fail to notice them even when they are plainly visible.
This failure relates to how the brain prioritizes certain visual information over other details. Despite what many people claim, trying to be more visible may not do much to reduce a rider’s crash risk. Brightly-colored gear and muffler modifications are not enough to overcome a driver’s inability to notice the motorcycle in traffic.
Riders on motorcycles can protect themselves by acting as though others in traffic cannot see them. This is particularly important when at a high-risk location, like an intersection where the rider intends to turn left. Waiting at an intersection until other drivers proceed, making an effort to visually interact with drivers and otherwise assuming that drivers can’t see a motorcycle could potentially prevent a motorcycle crash.
Riders who do get hurt in motorcycle collisions caused by bigger vehicles may need to look at their options for covering their expenses, such as personal injury lawsuits. Litigation is often necessary after a motorcycle crash because of the extent of the property damage costs and injury-related losses that such collisions cause.