Motorcycle Safety
Every year thousands of people are killed or seriously injured on our roads. Motorcyclists suffer disproportionately. They represent less than 1% of road traffic but account for around 20% of deaths and serious injuries. Motorcycle riders are 40 times more likely to be killed than car drivers.
As a motorist you can help to lower this toll. Take a few moments to read the tips on this page and become more motorcycle aware.
Don't have an injury to another road user on your conscience - Look out for motorcyclists.
Motorcycles differ from cars and other traffic in several important ways. For a start, they can make quicker progress, especially through slow moving traffic. That's one of the reasons people buy them.
- It might be frustrating for you to see motorcycles weaving through traffic queues when you are stuck. But even if you think they are riding dangerously, a hostile reaction from you will make a bad situation worse.
- Check your mirrors regularly and give motorcycles room.
- Motorcyclists are more vulnerable than drivers and cannot avoid hazards as quickly, especially in wet or greasy conditions. An accident which might not hurt you can kill or seriously injure a motorcyclist.
Situations to be aware of: Here are some situations for you to be aware of so that you do not inadvertently put a motorcyclist at risk.
At Junctions:
- When coming out from a side road, be careful if there are parked cars or large vehicles obstructing your view of a motorcyclist.
- Before turning left, make sure a motorcyclist isn't on your inside, and before turning right, make sure a motorcyclist isn't on your outside.
- Give motorcyclists room at roundabouts.
- Don't squeeze motorcyclists' space at traffic lights. It can make them accelerate faster to get a lane.
When Overtaking:
- Give motorcyclists as much room as you would a car. They might need it to avoid - a pothole, a manhole cover, a loose surface.
- Don't overtake when you can't give enough room - for example, where the road narrows.
- Don't overtake when approaching a junction.
When Parked:
- After parking, check for motorcyclists before opening your door, and get passengers behind you to do the same.
- When pulling away from the kerb, look out for motorbikes. They have a narrower profile than other vehicles, which can make them harder to see.
Other common situations - If you drive too close it can intimidate an inexperienced motorcyclist. They might make a mistake. A motorcyclist might be in the lane you want to move into. Look out. Are they already there or approaching quickly?
The five most common factors in road accidents that involve injury to motorcyclists are:
- failed to look properly
- loss of control
- failed to judge other person's path or speed
- careless, reckless or in a hurry
- poor turn or maneuver
Around 21 percent of accidents in which a motorcyclist was killed did not involve another vehicle.
Bends: About 1 in 4 of motorcycle accidents occurred on bends. Ensure speed is appropriate to negotiate bend without losing control, taking account of road surface condition. Anticipate hazards which may be concealed by the bend and be able to stop in time to avoid them.
Overtaking: About 1 in 5 of motorcyclist crashes involves overtaking. Almost 1 in 3 of the overtaking collisions involved motorcyclists passing stationary or slow moving vehicles e.g. in traffic queues, where the most common accident type was another vehicle turning right (either into or out of a side road or private drive) or U turning, across the motorcyclists path.
In other overtaking incidents, the commonest collision type was when the overtaken vehicle turned right as the motorcyclist was overtaking.
Be as visible as possible to other drivers. Anticipate that other drivers may not have seen you and be prepared for their actions. Do Not overtake near side roads or where cars may emerge from private drives/accesses; or do so with caution.
Junctions: The most common accident type was another vehicle crossing the motorcyclist's path to enter or leave a side road or private drive.
At roundabouts, the most common accident type was another vehicle entering the roundabout in the path of a motorcyclist already on the roundabout.
Be aware of oncoming vehicles which may turn right across your path.
Plan ahead on approaching junctions. Be aware of vehicles waiting to enter the main road, or approaching it along a side road, and be prepared to stop and take evasive action.
Choose appropriate speeds on approaches to junction. A driver emerging from a side road, cannot give way to a motorcyclist who cannot yet be seen, but which appears at high speed before the maneuver is completed. This is particularly applicable to slow moving goods vehicles or farm vehicles.
Anticipate the presence of drives/side roads concealed from view by bends, vegetation, or vehicles ahead.
REMEMBER: As narrow vehicles, motorcyclists can easily be overlooked, and can be completely hidden from view by intervening lamp columns, telegraph poles etc. along the other drives line of sight.
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