Some car drivers hate motorcyclists more than teenagers hate their parents. They complain about the noise, the speed, and the fact they sneak through traffic jams. The reality, however, is that motorists need to be tolerant and share the roads. As such, Simon Elstow from the Institute of Advanced Motorists has tips to help car lovers cope with bikes:
- Keep an eye out for motorcyclists. The biggest cause of accidents is failing to look properly, and this problem is exaggerated in the case of motorcycle collisions, as motorbikes are smaller, and less common than cars.
-Give them space. Don’t follow too close, or drive on their nearside – they may be avoiding potholes and other surface problems which aren’t an issue to a car driver.
-Use your mirrors so you see bikes approaching from behind. In particular check your mirrors before changing direction, especially in traffic queues.
-If a motorcyclist is trying to get past in heavy traffic, let them. Don’t try and impede their progress because you are stuck.
-Give clear and early signals to allow motorcyclists and other road users time to react.
-In bad weather allow motorcyclists even more space to deal with bad surface conditions.
Mr Elstow said: “Motorcyclists are at much more risk than other road users and awareness of the risks they face need to be understood – especially at junctions in towns.