Motorcyclists: Start Seeing Cars

The Start Seeing Motorcycles campaign helped build at least some awareness to how many drivers simply don’t see bikes on roads. It’s a sad reality and one riders have to deal with every time they pull out onto the pavement. But they also need to be paying attention and seeing cars.

Sometimes drivers can be killed by speeding motorcycles.

If that doesn’t make sense, watch the included video to see a rider who absolutely didn’t see a car stopped at a traffic light. It happens right at the beginning of the footage as the bike in a blur plows into the back of the white crossover and the rider goes flying past it before hitting the road.

Even worse, it appears the rider’s helmet goes flying even further into the intersection. Why wear a helmet if you don’t bother strapping it on? Is it just some fashion accessory?

The accident, which happened in Alabama, is a stark reminder that car drivers aren’t always at fault in crashes with motorcycles. Sometimes riders aren’t paying attention, like what appears to be the case with this collision.

Whatever happened with the rider, we can’t see how anyone could blame the driver of the white crossover. He was just sitting at the intersection, minding his own business when out of nowhere the bike slammed into his rear bumper. The guy seems confused when he gets out to check what hit him.

We don’t know what the ultimate fate of this rider was, but that doesn’t change the point: if you’re on a motorcycle you need to be hyper-aware of your surroundings at all times. Unlike in a car, you don’t have a safety cage, airbags, etc. to protect you in a collision. You’re the crumple zone, so in a crash like this your body pays the ultimate price.

Motorcycle riders can’t afford to be distracted or zone out, period.

Image via SafetyVid/YouTube