I went for my first motorcycle ride of the year last Sunday, the spring that threatened to never arrive finally blooming in full force. Snow melted, birds finally chirping and the mercury sliding up to 20 be-still-my-still-frozen-heart degrees Celsius, I fired up my new-to-me 2002 Suzuki V-Strom, the promise of spring’s first ride almost enough to erase the memory of a particularly bitter winter.
And I almost got wiped out at the second intersection I came to. It was a stark reminder — albeit a little earlier in the riding season than I expected — that we motorcyclists pay for our wind-in-our-hair (for those who have some left!) freedom with a vulnerability endemic to any mode of transportation where human flesh rides on the outside — rather than inside — of a vehicle’s bodywork.
Read more: Why there’s no such thing as a car ‘accident’
It’s no mystery that motorcycling is more dangerous than driving, the Société de l’assurance automobile du Québec (SAAQ) reports that, although motorcycles make up only three percent of the vehicles on the road (and, then, only for half the year), they accounted for 16% of all traffic fatalities in La Belle Province in 2013. Other jurisdictions offer, if anything, more pessimistic predictions.
Of course, those lopsided statistics are partially explained by a motorcycle’s lack of protective bodywork and energy absorbing air bags. Only one two-wheeler, Honda’s Gold Wing, has a supplemental restraint system, and other manufacturers don’t seem to be in a hurry to copy Honda’s lead. Minor fender benders that might bruise a knee in an automobile almost always have more serious consequences if you’re riding a two-wheeler. And there’s no denying that some younger bikers have a (let’s call it) enthusiasm that is not conducive to CAA-approved safe motoring. Factor in alcohol as an even greater contributor to single two-wheel vehicle accidents and motorcyclists are already behind the eight ball.
A motorcyclist’s biggest danger comes from other motorists, namely those driving cars. The root of the problem is extremely simple: Drivers simply do not see motorcycles.
Ray Smith, Victoria Times Colonist
But the truth remains — and statistics from around the globe back this up — that a motorcyclist’s biggest danger comes from other motorists, namely those driving cars. The root of the problem is extremely simple: Drivers simply do not see motorcycles. Or, if they are aware of them, they simply misjudge their speed as well as their distance and therefore incorrectly estimate closing times. “I did not see him” or “I did not see him in time” remain the most common anecdotal explanations for otherwise conscientious motorists plowing into unsuspecting motorcyclists.
And the how of motorcycle meets car bumper is even more specific, my near contretemps a situation all too familiar to bikers. I was approaching a four-way intersection. A car was stopped in the opposite lane, waiting to turn left across my path. I thought he saw me and, yet, at the last minute, the driver pulls out into the intersection, starting its turn right into my path, quite literally like I didn’t even exist. Much honking of horn and wrenching of handlebar avoided the collision … this time.
Also read: Who will program our cars to make life and death decisions?
Of the numerous possible scenarios involving two-vehicle interactions — and think of the thousands of miscues that can lead to intra-vehicular “accidents” — nearly half of all motorcycle-car collisions result from exactly the scenario detailed above. It’s such a common occurrence that Quebec’s SAAQ ran a Watch Out at Intersections TV spot imploring drivers to pay more attention to motorcyclists. Indeed, motorcycle experts from Harry Hurt, whose ground-breaking Hurt Report was the first major study into motorcycle safety, to Pierre Lessard, a motorcycle driving instructor for 35 years and author of Conduire sa moto en pro (Ride Like A Pro), all agree that conspicuity of the motorcycle is a critical factor in car-motorcycle accidents.
It’s why so many of we motorcyclists now wear such high-vis neon clothing (no, we’re not all auditioning for B-52 cover bands). It’s why motorcycles have had daytime running lights for longer than cars and it’s why it’s not uncommon for motorcyclists to flash their high beams as they approach intersections. Yes, we know it’s annoying (indeed, that’s the point), but better you be annoyed than us unnoticed by you.
Maintaining that visibility is (or should be) the goal of every motorcyclist. It’s why the most experienced of us always ride in the left-hand part of the lane right behind your rear, left-side bumper: We know you can see us with just a quick check in your driver’s side mirror (we’re also avoiding the oil that your lead-sleds drop in the middle of the lanes). The truly keen even mount something called a motorcycle headlight modulator — note to bikers: a couple of the better units are made by Comagination and Kisan — that flash the headlight at a particularly conspicuous four times a second maximizing our visibility/annoyance. It was even the original reason that motorcyclists first started wrapping fluorescent tape around their wheels (I’ll try not to convince you that safety is also the reason that a few pathetic show-offs now festoon the underside of their engines with multi-coloured LEDs; we all think they’re a-holes, too).
The proverb, however, remains the same: We’re back, we’re sharing your roads again for the first time in six months and we’d very much appreciate your attention. Please. The life you save may be mine.
Vehicle-to-vehicle communications could prevent motorcycle collisions
The high-tech world may have a solution for the most dangerous situation in motorcycling. It’s called Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) technology and it’s a furthering of the “Car 2 Car” communications the entire transportation industry has been working on. Using GPS and vehicle-to-vehicle communications, crash warning systems could alert car drivers waiting at an intersection (and in other situations, of course) to the presence of a motorcycle. Indeed, a special motorcycle identifier would signal that it’s a biker approaching, perhaps giving drivers an extra pause as they search for the smaller vehicle. And, further in the future, “smart intersections” could even alert bikers of a red light bandit before they arrive at a crossroads. Honda, the producer of the world’s only motorcycle with an air bag, is reportedly testing ITS for future production.
