"Be Seen - Be Responsible"

There are a few statistics we motorcycling enthusiasts should be familiar with because they speak to motorcycle safety.  Research shows that most motorcycle accidents involve collision with another vehicle.  Most often, that other vehicle is a passenger car.  More than half of all car-motorcycle crashes are caused by the other vehicle violating the motorcyclist's right-of-way: making a left turn in front of an oncoming motorcycle, pulling into the path of a bike from a side street or driveway, or cutting into a lane occupied by a motorcycle.  So, what can we do about this?  First, motorcycles are hard to see in the traffic mix so there is an ongoing effort by the motorcycling community to educate drivers and promote driver awareness of our presence on the road.  Driver Awareness Month, Ride to Work Day, and other such initiatives are all part of this awareness campaign.  And there's another message car drivers are starting to get:  that they will accept greater responsibility for the injuries they cause to motorcyclists and other vulnerable road users.  New laws are being introduced in state legislatures, through the lobbying efforts of the AMA and other motorcycle rights groups, that would increase the penalties for drivers who cause injuries to motorcyclists.

But as Harry Truman once said:  "the buck stops here."  Loosely translated, that means there are things we can do to help ourselves.  We need to become pro-active about our safety on the road.  First, make yourself conspicuous; that means you, your bike, and to a certain extent, how you ride.  Then, learn to read the road; become a defensive rider.  Let's start with conspicuousness.  It's a fact that the best colors for visibility are those not normally seen on the road.  Now that doesn't mean you have to wear hot pink or chartreuse to be seen.  How about orange, yellow, or white?  Don't like any of those?  Even if riding color of choice is black, wearing a reflective vest and decals will help a lot.  Motorcycles have fewer lights and less reflective area than cars, so anything we can do to make our bike more visible will help.  Some of us may be using the high beam during the day.  That's a good idea, but with more cars and trucks equipped with daytime running lights, the advantage we used to enjoy by being "lit up" is dwindling.  Something I hadn't thought about before, but after the events of 9-11, I put the American flag back on my bike and I fly it, not just on national holidays, but more of the time.  A flag helps to make the motorcycle more visible.  Where we ride on the road will also help us to be more visible.  Stay out of blind spots.  Position yourself so that you can maintain a good view of the road ahead and be more visible to car drivers.

Enroll in a rider course.  You'll learn to read the road and you'll learn skills that you can use to decrease the probability of an accident occurring.  May the wind be always at your back.