Motorcycle Articles

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By The Law Tigers
America's Injury Lawyers Who Ride

Helping You to See Others

When riding your motorcycle it's necessary to always be alert and see everything that's occurring around you. Never assume that motorists and pedestrians always see you.

It's important to use your eyes effectively and to constantly keep them and your head moving. Never let your eyes fix on an object for more than two seconds and always keep looking around.

Avoid distractions such as daydreaming, accidents, and other stimuli that cause you to hone in on one thing for too long. Doing so will prevent you from maintaining peak alertness.

It's imperative that you always look ahead, look to the side, look in your mirrors, and look over your shoulders. While riding your motorcycle, you must constantly look for potential hazards. Always anticipate the oncoming, left-turning driver at intersections, the vehicle fast approaching behind you, and the careless driver who is inadvertently drifting into your lane.

Adequate reaction time is another way to avoid a collision from occurring. Whether due to delayed reaction time, fatigue, or inattentiveness, a motorist that's traveling in front of you may have to abruptly slow down. By avoiding tailgating, you will give yourself adequate time and distance to safely decrease your rate of travel and avoid a collision.

When traveling at speeds under 40 mph within the city, maintain a two-second gap between you and the car in front of you. It's a good idea to use a fixed point of reference, such as a phone pole or streetlight, to determine the time. As the car passes the fixed object, begin counting "one-thousand-one, one-thousand-two" and then you should pass that same object.

When traveling at higher speeds on freeways and open roads, you should adjust the gap between you and other vehicles. Depending on your speed, the road conditions, and the weather, increase the gap to four or more seconds. Similar to what you did within the city, utilize the same reference-point practice to best determine how many seconds you are behind the vehicle in front of you.