Texas & New Mexico Personal Injury Lawyers
A motorcycle on the ground behind a car after a crash

Sharing the Road with Motorcycles: Tips Everyone Should Know

Tips to Stay Safe

When a motorcycle accident occurs, the cause of the crash is not often the motorcyclists, but another motorist instead. In order to help prevent dangerous motorcycle accidents, it is everyone’s duty to drive responsibly and safely share the road with motorcycles. In order to do your part in stopping motorcycle accidents, remember these five tips:

  • Look closely: The average motorcycle is no larger than half the size of even the smallest sedans, making them easily lost in clustering of traffic. To spot a motorcycle, it is sometimes easier to look for their shadows and tires on the ground next to another vehicle blocking your view. You can also look for headlights in the dark, and roll down your windows and listen for the distinct noise of their engines.
  • Mirrors and shoulders: The blind spots of your vehicle are all the more dangerous to motorcyclists. Frequently look into all mirrors, and check over your shoulder when it is safe to do so, even if you are not changing lanes.
  • Follow behind: Stay true to the five-second rule whenever you are driving behind a motorcyclist. Due to the lesser weight of a motorcycle, many makes and models can brake rapidly, coming to a stop sooner than you expect. If you are following three seconds behind or less, then you are likely to slam into a motorcyclist who has to brake in an emergency.
  • Left-turn caution: Many of the worst motorcycle accidents happen when a driver turns left through an intersection without properly checking for cross-traffic. Use extreme caution when you see a motorcycle approaching, as it is difficult to gauge their speed properly. When in doubt, do not turn and simply wait for the motorcyclist to move by.
  • Deliberate movements: A little tap on a motorcycle in motion can be enough to throw off the rider’s balance and send them into a crash. Make every movement in your vehicle deliberate to avoid even minor bumps. Telegraph every motion, too, with the use of turn signals.

Contact Us Today If You've Been Injured

If you follow all of these tips, the odds of getting into a motorcycle accident will greatly decrease. However, all the caution in the world is sometimes not enough to avoid a crash with a negligent motorist. If you get hurt in a motorcycle accident, either as the rider or as a driver, come to Farah Law and tell our attorneys what happened. We have been representing the wrongfully injured for years in a variety of complex injury claims — and always for our “do not pay unless we win” policy.

Find out more by calling 888.481.9359 or contacting us online and asking for a free consultation