Safety Measures to Prevent Motorcycle Accidents in Northglenn

The following tips can help you avoid a serious motorcycle accident:

1. Make yourself visible to drivers. Most car drivers who have collided with a motorcycle, say they never even saw the motorcycle. Avoid that issue by dressing in brightly-colored or reflective clothing and using your high beams during the day.
2. Travel freeways when possible. Limited access roads such as interstates and freeways are safer for riders because car drivers have fewer opportunities to turn across the rider’s right of way.
3. Reduce your speed in curves. Rocks, trees and even post-and-rail barriers will not be friendly places to land. Slow down a little in turns to give yourself more time to navigate and anticipate any other hidden dangers.
4. Split lanes on the highway. The Hurt Report showed that there are more riders who get hit from behind while on the freeway by staying in their lane than riders who crash by lane splitting. However, lane-splitters need to be cautious about driving significantly faster than the traffic flow and when approaching a car with an open spot in the lane next to it.
5. Watch the vehicle that is in position to violate your right of way. Don’t take your eyes off the vehicle just because you think the driver has seen you- you may be unpleasantly surprised.
6. Keep plenty of lateral distance between you and an approaching car. If you are approaching an intersection where an on-coming car may cross your path, move to the lane closer to the curb. That will give you more visibility and more time to react in the event the driver doesn’t see you.
7. Stay in the mix with cars while navigating busy urban traffic. Don’t ride out ahead or fall behind a pack of cars. While navigating through intersections, keep close to a car’s front fender. That keeps you out of their blind spot, but lets you use the car as a shield. This is especially useful at night when visibility is reduced.
8. Don’t pass slower cars on residential streets. Chances are, a slow-moving vehicle on a residential street is looking for his turn, and as soon as you get impatient and try to pass, he’ll find it.
9. Don’t rely on a loud exhaust to alert car drivers. Worry more about making yourself seen than heard. Loud exhausts typically just alarm drivers and cause them to hit the brake. Plus, by the time they can hear you, you’re already within striking distance.
10. Never ride impaired. An impaired rider’s chance of being in a crash is exponentially greater than a sober rider. In fact, one beer increases your risk approximately 40 times over.

Bonus tip!

1. Don’t lay your motorcycle down. Skilled use of both brakes will do a better job of slowing you down than laying down the motorcycle. The only time it may be beneficial to lay your motorcycle down is if you’re on a raised curve, like an interstate exchange where you are in danger of going over a wall.

Contact Our Northglenn Attorneys About Motorcycle Safety Measures