A BBC show that recently aired pegged bikers as the most likely reasons why motorcycles crashed. The program claimed most motorcycle crashes happened on a bend when the rider lost control. But a motorcycle insurance company investigated and found that’s not the case at all.
Bike riders were furious over the show’s claims. They basically claimed bikers were reckless and the cause of their own mishaps. So the insurance company Groupama looked at the same number of claims – 1679 – that came in during peak riding season and found not a single one was caused by losing control on a curve. Three riders had lost control but a bend in the road wasn’t involved. Instead, 4 out of 5 of all motorcycle accidents happened because of another driver. The most frequent collisions occurred because of a vehicle changing lanes unexpectedly or coming onto a highway and not seeing the bike when they merged.
This is important for those of us who ride two wheels not because we can get all smug and think we are great riders but because it’s a reminder for us to step up our vigilance about the rest of the traffic. We already know we have to anticipate and plan like no other vehicle operators out there because a collision for us can be a killer. But these stats just go to show that we need to do everything possible to make sure we’re seen and that we have a way out of a jam before it even happens. Now all we need are a couple more good rainfalls to wash away the salt and sand from the roads and we can put these plans into practice!
Vigilance is key for the enjoyment and safety of every motorcycle rider, for sadly, the average drivers skills have gotten worse as time has passed and with the highly crowded roads, its a challenge. In many cases, the roads themselves are increasingly becoming a safety hazard as a result of deterioration not to mention all those things which fly or fall off other vehicles.
Safe riding to all!
I don’t ride any more, but I am frequently dismayed when following riders by their poor use of the road. If you are riding alone, ride in the same section of the lane that you would be in sitting behind the wheel of a car, left near the center line. You then visually take up more space and drivers tend to give you the same room as if you were a car. If you are riding in a group, the first and last riders should be on the left side of the lane for the same reason. I was taught that over 40 years ago, and it still applies today. Car drivers don’t see you as well, when you stick to the right side of the lane.
That’s a really good point, Gloria. That’s something they are really critical about when you take the road test these days. It just makes sense too! I’m happy to say I got a perfect score on that aspect of the test. 🙂 But it drives me crazy when fellow riders don’t know about this when we ride in a group. It’s hard to tell a grizzled rider of 30 years that he doesn’t know what he’s doing. So other riders have to compensate.