Share the road with Motorcycles – keep our roads safe!

May is Motorcycle Awareness Month, and both motorcycle riders and drivers have a responsibility to each other to keep road conditions safe for other vehicles. Both have specific road rules to follow, and both should show common courtesy. Doing so will make being on the road so much more enjoyable.

Sensible Rules

All vehicles on the road, regardless of how many wheels they have, must remember to signal, go at reasonable speeds (which applies to both going fast enough and not too fast), and keep a sensible distance between vehicles. Drivers need to be aware of how much smaller motorcycles are compared to cars. In an accident, the motorcycle rider is more vulnerable to injury because of a lack of an exterior shell, which car and truck drivers have.

Motorcycle riders can’t ride between lanes of cars in Wisconsin. This practice, also called lane-splitting and white-lining, recently became legal in California after years of being in a gray zone. However, in Wisconsin, the practice remains illegal.

By that same token, car and truck drivers have to keep in mind that some riders may lane-split anyway. Always check blind spots before moving into another lane or making a turn.

Signal Issues

In addition to remembering to signal, all drivers must be aware that signals don’t always shut off by themselves after a turn. Shallow turns (as opposed to a typical right-angle turn onto another street) may not be enough to make a car’s turn signal shut off. Motorcycle signals often do not shut off by themselves at all.

The result in both cases can be a vehicle with a turn signal on but that is not intending to turn. Drivers and riders should be careful about assuming that someone with a turn signal on is actually turning.

The National Safety Council has more information on motorcycle safety and awareness. And if you’ve been in an accident that involved a motorcycle, contact Eisenberg Law Offices to meet with experienced personal injury attorneys.