According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), motorcyclist deaths occurred 28 times more frequently than fatalities in other vehicles, based on 2016 fatal crash data. To keep motorcyclists safe, the NHTSA urges everyone to share the road and be alert.
It is especially important for motorists to understand the safety challenges faced by motorcyclists such as size and visibility, and motorcycle riding practices like downshifting and weaving to know how to anticipate and respond to them.
“When motorcycles and other vehicles collide, it is usually the other (non-motorcycle) driver who violates the motorcyclist’s right of way,” according to the NHTSA. “There is a continuing need to help other motorists ‘think’ motorcyclists and to educate motorcyclists to be aware of this problem.”
Motorcycles are relatively small and often drivers don’t see them because their view is obstructed by vehicle blind spots or other vehicles. Stay alert to traffic and be aware of your surroundings. Start seeing motorcycles.
Source: NHTSA
