One of the main dangers that motorcyclists face is simply that other drivers are going to make mistakes, such as turning left in front of them. This happens very frequently. It often leads to severe accidents because it’s very hard for a motorcyclist to avoid the collision after the driver has made that mistake.
These accidents often happen at intersections, whether they are light-controlled or just four-way stops. But it’s also a threat any time that someone is riding their bike because a driver who is coming toward them on a two-lane road would cross in front of them when making a left turn. There’s always a risk that another driver is going to make that turn without enough space and cause a crash.
What should a rider do?
Defensive driving is the best way to protect against this, simply by being extra vigilant and paying careful attention to other cars. There are often signs that someone is going to turn left because they look impatient, they’re slowly edging forward or they’re distracted and not watching oncoming traffic the way that they should be.
Unfortunately, even if a motorcycle rider sees a driver behaving in this way, there may not be anything they can do to avoid the crash. They don’t want to swerve left into oncoming traffic, and they can’t swerve right because the vehicle is moving to the right. They may be able to lay the bike down, but this often isn’t much better than just getting into the accident.
If you’ve been injured in a motorcycle accident caused by another driver, be sure you’re well aware of your legal options.
