Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month – Play Your Part in Biker Safety
What can you do to help with biker safety?
Why is biker safety important? With more than 8 million motorcycles on America’s roads and an accident rate way above that of four-wheeled vehicles — riders are 37 times more vulnerable than car travelers. One way or another motorbikes and bikers are always in the news.
We know motorcycling is a potentially high-risk activity. The fact is that many of those risks arise because other road users don’t give motorcycles and their riders the attention they deserve.
That’s the thinking behind Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month, which happens in May every year. It’s marked by a plea to drivers of all other vehicles and all road users to “share the road” with motorcyclists and to be extra-alert to help keep riders safe.
Of course, motorcyclists themselves also have a key role to play in having regard for each other and for motorists.
“Throughout spring and summer the number of motorcyclists on the road will increase. It is important for both motorists and motorcyclists to be aware of one another,” says David Teater, National Safety Council (NSC) senior director of Transportation Initiatives. “To better defend themselves, motorcyclists should follow the rules of the roadway and wear protective gear, including a Department of Transportation compliant helmet.”
Ready to play your part in motorcycle safety?
Whether you’re a car driver or motorcyclist, here are 6 biker safety suggestions from the NSC:
- Allow more distance following a motorcycle than you would for a car.
- At an intersection where you plan to turn left, be especially alert for motorcycles coming from either direction. They’re easy to overlook.
- Never try to share one lane between a car and a motorcycle.
- Motorcyclists should avoid riding in bad weather.
- Both car drivers and motorcyclists should be aware of a driver’s mirror blind spot when, for a few seconds, the bike cannot be seen. This is especially important when changing lanes.
- Always use turn signals — for every turn or lane change. That goes for drivers and motorcyclists alike.
Do you have the best motorcycle insurance?
Riding a motorcycle is consider a high risk activity. Especially with the all of the aggressive and distracted driving on today’s roadways.
So as a biker, you need to make sure you have the best motorcycle insurance plan in place before you start riding. Then keep biker safety in mind as you ride.
Most riders think that they can have lower liability insurance limits on their bike. The thinking is that they cannot cause enough damage to justify a $250,000/$500,000 liability limit.
What they do not think about, is the protection for themselves that they get with that $250,000/$500,000 limit. This protection is in the form of the uninsured / underinsured motorist coverage.
Statistics show that 14% of accidents are caused by uninsured motorists. Check out my blog titled There Are How Many Uninsured Drivers Around Me? This blog goes into more detail on the uninsured driver subject.
Bikers know that if they are involved in an accident, it will usually be the other driver’s fault. This is why we publicize about biker safety when the weather warms up.
So do you want to take the chance that the other driver has insurance to cover your financial losses? Or that they have enough insurance to cover you injuries and lost wages?
You can protect yourself by having the higher uninsured / underinsured motorists limits on your motorcycle insurance policy.
Contact Huff Insurance Today
Our experienced team at Huff Insurance can make sure the you have the best motorcycle insurance plan in place for your needs.
Huff Insurance is a full service Independent Insurance Agent. We have been dedicated to Protecting Lifestyles™ since 1960. We offer a full array of Personal Insurance, Commercial Insurance and Life Insurance products. Call us at 410-647-111