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"Be Seen - Be Responsible"
"Be Seen - Be Responsible"
There are a few statistics we motorcycling enthusiasts
should be familiar with because they speak to
motorcycle safety. Research shows that most motorcycle
accidents involve collision with another vehicle. Most
often, that other vehicle is a passenger car. More
than half of all car-motorcycle crashes are caused by
the other vehicle violating the motorcyclist's
right-of-way: making a left turn in front of an
oncoming motorcycle, pulling into the path of a bike
from a side street or driveway, or cutting into a lane
occupied by a motorcycle. So, what can we do about
this? First, motorcycles are hard to see in the
traffic mix so there is an ongoing effort by the
motorcycling community to educate drivers and promote
driver awareness of our presence on the road. Driver
Awareness Month, Ride to Work Day, and other such
initiatives are all part of this awareness campaign.
And there's another message car drivers are starting
to get: that they will accept greater responsibility
for the injuries they cause to motorcyclists and other
vulnerable road users. New laws are being introduced
in state legislatures, through the lobbying efforts of
the AMA and other motorcycle rights groups, that would
increase the penalties for drivers who cause
injuries to motorcyclists.
But as Harry Truman once said: "the buck stops here".
Loosely translated, that means there are things we can
do to help ourselves. We need to become pro-active
about our safety on the road. First, make yourself
conspicuous; that means you, your bike, and to a
certain extent, how you ride. Then, learn to read the
road; become a defensive rider. Lets start with
conspicuousness. It's a fact that the best colors for
visibility are those not normally seen on the road.
Now that doesn't mean you have to wear hot pink or
chartreuse to be seen. How about orange, yellow, or
white? Don't like any of those? Even if your riding
color of choice is black, wearing a reflective vest and
decals will help a lot. Motorcycles have fewer lights
and less reflective area than cars, so anything we can
do to make our bike more visible will help. How about
a modulator for the headlight? A modulator is Indiana
legal, but for daytime use only. Some of us may be
using the high beam during the day. That's another
good idea, but with more cars and trucks equipped with
daytime running lights, the advantage we used to enjoy
by being "lit up" is dwindling. Something I hadn't
thought about before, but after the events of 9-11, I
put the American flag back on my bike and I fly it,
not just on national holidays, but more of the time. A
flag helps to make the motorcycle more visible. Where
we ride on the road will also help us to be more
visible. Stay out of blind spots. Position yourself so
that you can maintain a good view of the road ahead
and be more visible to car drivers.
Enroll in a rider course. You'll learn to read the
road and you'll learn skills that you can use to
decrease the probability of an accident occurring.
May the wind be always at your back,
Dan "Deacon" Nigro
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