Awareness Education

It has been a while since my last post. I haven't had an opportunity to review more bikes, but I have still been riding mine regularly. Every morning and afternoon I am out on the streets and highways, going to work, from work, and many other destinations. In my many thousands of miles since getting the Goldwing, some things have been very apparent. First of all, driver awareness education is horrible. Second, rider education is also poor. These two things contribute to many of the accidents and near-misses I see and hear about daily.

The first problem is driver awareness. Car and truck drivers just don't know how to look for motorcycles. Heads do not turn, eyeballs just glance at mirrors. If I am in a lane next to a car, I am likely in a blind spot. If my front tire is level with or behind the passenger door or quarter panel, that driver will not see me without turning his or her head. The tendency to not turn heads is prevalent and is the main cause of accidents where both cars are moving. An accident that causes minor damage to cars can cause major or catastrophic damage to motorcycles and their riders.

How can drivers improve awareness? First, turn your heads and look. Second, you can make a game of it for yourself. See how many motorcycles you can count every time you check traffic around you. Train yourself to see them, to count them. If you have passengers or kids with you, make it a friendly contest. Once you can easily pick out motorcycles for counting them, you have trained your brain to pick them out even if you aren't actively looking for them. Even if you do not want to do the counting game, you can simply turn your head before changing lanes or turning. As a driver, you owe a duty to care to everybody around you. Mirrors are limited in what they reflect, so you have a duty to use your eyes. Safe and defensive driving helps everybody, especially you. Accidents increase insurance rates, which everybody dislikes. Even insurance companies dislike raising rates. Yes, they get a bit more revenue, but the associated risk increase is like baking a cupcake with salt instead of sugar.

How can riders improve awareness? This is perhaps the easiest thing to do. There are many classes offered by many organizations, such as the Motorcycle Safety Foundation, that provide skills training specifically aimed at improving rider skill both on the bike and also while navigating city streets. To a novice rider, operating a motorcycle has many counter-intuitive properties. Turning, for example, is hard for untrained novices. Counter-steer sounds odd, but is great in practice. Skills training provides a safe and consistent way to improve abilities and situational awareness. When I am in my car, I can focus on the cars around me and the road ahead. The scope is limited, as the risk is generally low. On my Goldwing, however, I need to be aware of all cars all around me at all times. The douchebag three lanes over with a kazoo in his muffler cut across two lanes, so I need to be prepared to swerve or brake quickly. The minivan behind me has mom and dad in the front, but I can see that dad is a little distracted and is catching up to me. Grandma Bluehair ahead of me has her left signal on, but just merged right. Knowing what the cars around me are doing, even if they aren't right next to me, is important on my bike. I have a duty of care to drive safely and defensively, just like cars.

In short, all those who use the roads have a duty to look out for everybody else. Motorcycles can be harder to see, but that is not a defense if you fail to look in the first place. If I have a matte-black bike, I wear dark clothes, and I turn off my lights, I am being negligent if I ride at night. If I drive safely, with lights on and with reflective riding gear, I am doing my part to make my presence known. If you are in a car, please you your part as well.