Wondering what the biggest threat is when you’re out on your motorcycle? Maybe you’re worried about drunk drivers if you ride at night, or texting teens and young adults. Perhaps your concern is that people in large vehicles like semi-trucks won’t see your motorcycle in time to avoid hitting it.
First and foremost, these are all valid concerns. Motorcycle accidents happen for a multitude of reasons, and those examples claim bikers’ lives and cause serious injuries every year. You need to be aware of the risks.
However, none of them is the biggest risk you face. The worst danger simply lies in a vehicle turning left ahead of your bike.
The problem here is that the driver may not see your bike at all. Maybe they’re waiting for oncoming traffic to pass them by so they can pull into a driveway. Ot they might be waiting at an intersection with a flashing yellow light right where you plan to keep going straight.
Either way, the driver may not see your bike. He or she turns too soon, cutting you off. You have nowhere to go. It all happens very quickly and unexpectedly, and you slam directly into the side of the car.
Not only is this type of crash very sudden and impossible to avoid, but it can lead to incredibly serious injuries. You don’t have time to reduce your speed or lessen the impact. Your bike goes from 60 mph to zero in a fraction of a second.
If you wind up in the hospital with head injuries, back injuries or other serious complications, you may need to seek financial compensation from the driver who caused the crash.