Drivers can prevent motorcycle accidents

With May being the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s, or NHTSA’s, Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month, it is a good time for drivers in the Baton Rouge area to remember that they have a responsibility to be on the lookout for motorcyclists and take extra care around them.

As easy as it may be to blame a motorcyclist for an accident, drivers of other vehicles indeed have a lot of pretty easy things they can do in order to prevent motorcycle accidents and the serious injuries that usually come along with them. Really, many of the safety tips NHTSA recommends are things drivers should do under all circumstances, but especially when around motorcycles.

For example, to prevent motorcycle accidents, drivers should check over their blind spots frequently, since a motorcycle can easily, and through no fault of the motorcyclist, wind up hidden outside the view of the car’s driver. Drivers should not rely exclusively on their car’s technology when checking blind spots.

Likewise, drivers need to remember to give motorcyclists adequate space when following them. While it is never a good idea to tailgate, it can be especially dangerous to do so when trailing a motorcycle. For one, motorcyclists typically do not brake to slow down but instead shift gears. This means that they can decelerate without a lot of warning.

In short, Louisiana drivers can prevent motorcycle accidents simply by driving carefully and following the rules of the road. When they fail to do this, motorcyclists are very likely to get hurt or even killed. It is no secret that motorcyclists are particularly vulnerable to the impact of a larger vehicle, even when they are wearing a helmet and other protective gear. Motorcyclists who get hurt by a careless driver may have legal options available to them.