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Old March 10th, 2013, 06:39 PM   #1
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Car drivers cause most crashes with motorcycles, study finds

Car drivers cause most crashes with motorcycles, study finds

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/pal...,2951261.story

By Angel Streeter, Sun Sentinel
4:52 p.m. EST, March 9, 2013

For motorcycle riders, people in "cages" — those driving cars and trucks — bear a disproportionate share of the blame for the high number of motorcycle crashes on South Florida roads.

"The increasing number of motorcycle accidents is greatly due to distracted drivers on cell phones," said Michael Gluckman, of Delray Beach, who has been riding for 13 years.
But people in cars traditionally have pointed to reckless motorcycle drivers careening in and out of traffic for putting their own lives at risk.

"These guys are always making statements that everyone should watch out for them," said Don Cosby, of Fort Lauderdale. "I feel like they don't watch out for themselves very well … You see [bikers on sport bikes] cutting in and out of traffic. Very few ride in a reasonable, safe manner. They're pretty reckless."

So who's mostly to blame when four-wheel and two-wheel vehicles collide? According to a recent Florida Department of Transportation study, bikers are right. Motorists driving cars and trucks are mostly at fault, often failing to yield the right of way to the smaller vehicles.

In analyzing 10 years of Florida motorcycle crashes, Chanyoung Lee, a senior researcher at the University of South Florida's Center for Urban Transportation Research, found that 60 percent of the time motorists in other vehicles are at fault when they collide with motorcycles.

"There's a bias by people driving," Lee said. "They don't expect to see motorcycles."
But the study uncovered more: When looking at all motorcycle crashes, motorcycle operators bear a lot of responsibility as well. They have a significantly higher number of single-vehicle crashes than other drivers. That is, they crash on their own without other vehicles involved.

Some 34 percent of motorcycle crashes involve one vehicle, according to the study. Compare that to only 19 percent of car crashes involving one vehicle.
Many of those single-vehicle motorcycle crashes occur when bikers are navigating curves but fail to slow down.

"When you ride a motorcycle, there's a good chance you'll crash by yourself, a little higher than if you were in a car," said Lee, who is part of FDOT's Motorcycle Safety Coalition.

When looking at really severe and fatal motorcycle crashes, 50 percent of those accidents involve just the motorcycle and no other vehicle.

But that doesn't take other motorists off the hook. In severe and fatal motorcycle crashes involving multiple vehicles, greater blame falls on four-wheeled drivers. And most motorcycle crashes involve other vehicles.

Those crashes often involve other vehicles making a left turn, pulling in front of motorcycles that are going straight. The problem is people in cars and trucks fail to see motorcycles. That's partly because they have smaller profiles.

People perceive the speed of something relative to the size of the object, Lee said. A car or truck barreling down a road at 45 mph may be more intimidating than a motorcycle going at the same speed. So drivers may yield for them and not the motorcycle. Drivers may also think the motorcycle is farther away.

But it's also a matter of awareness. In driver surveys, FDOT has asked people how often they see motorcycles. Those with motorcycle endorsements on their driver's licenses report seeing motorcycles all the time, while those without endorsements who live in the same area report occasionally seeing motorcycles.
"If you're aware of it, you see it," Lee said.

Unaware motorists are a constant hazard for Edward Davila, Jr., president of Wings of Gold MC of Palm Beach. On a recent Sunday drive to church, he was nearly side-swiped twice. On a drive on Interstate 95 with a few friends, a woman texting on her phone drifted into their lane.

He recalls four friends who died in recent months. In each case, another vehicle was at fault, cutting one off, pushing one into a wall and hitting another head-on.

He thinks the crashes occur more often during the winter when snowbirds arrive.
"They're not paying attention," he said. "Bikes are not as big a thing up north as in South Florida."

More motorcycle crashes occur in March than any other month of the year. But Lee thinks that's because there are more motorcycles on the road.

Ideally, Lee said motorists should be doing what FDOT has been advocating for several years: Look Twice for Motorcycles. And bikers should make themselves more conspicuous, wearing bright clothing other than the traditional black leather.
Gluckman believes FDOT's campaign has made a difference.

"We're not easy to see," he said. "But we're not invisible. If you look carefully, you will see us."

astreeter@tribune.com, 561-243-6537 or Twitter @adstreeter
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Old March 10th, 2013, 06:53 PM   #2
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I think the note about awareness is spot on. I know lots of my family members, particularly my immediate family, started noticing motorcyclists a lot more once I started riding.
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Old March 11th, 2013, 04:26 PM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Motofool View Post
More motorcycle crashes occur in March than any other month of the year. But Lee thinks that's because there are more motorcycles on the road.
Stay safe out there guys.

Also, I don't think my family upped their awareness because I started riding. It probably has more to do with the close calls I tell them about.
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Old March 11th, 2013, 04:43 PM   #4
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Since I started riding, I notice them all the time. The same goes for when I buy a vehicle: I never notice how many other vehicles of that model there are until I own one myself.
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Old March 11th, 2013, 05:25 PM   #5
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+1 to friends/family noticing. When my dad got his bike when I was 12, family members started talking about how much more they notice bikes and since I got mine I always have friends telling me they saw some sort of motorcycle lol.
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Old March 11th, 2013, 05:26 PM   #6
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isnt this whole study kind of...pointless, only because its so obvious?

Common sense..no?
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Old March 11th, 2013, 06:17 PM   #7
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Common sense isn't that common, which is why the Darwin awards exist
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Old March 12th, 2013, 05:36 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Motofool View Post
Car drivers cause most crashes with motorcycles, study finds
Quite a few out there with the same conclusions, we put ourselves over hedges, but cagers put us under wheels.

Consensus is:
single vs multiple vehicle collision is about a 50/50 split, most single bike accidents are to do with coming in too hot & running out of road, but usually the region of 70-80% multiple vehicle collisions are the other driver's fault.

The thing that can't be accurately studied is whether the other driver didn't actually see the bike (for whatever reason, bad eyesight, saw it but it didn't register ect.), or they are trying to wriggle out of more serious trouble with an easy lie.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Aggrotech View Post
isnt this whole study kind of...pointless, only because its so obvious?

Common sense..no?
Sadly no, common sense would prevent a lot of the crashes, but again it's lacking & the cager usually has something along the lines of 'the bike came out of nowhere, he must have been speeding' - never mind that the cager was texting.

[RANT]

Or in one case that I saw, a dozy Essex c*nt driving a mini, who was
applying mascara,
using both hands
& the rear view mirror,
while attempting to negotiate a bend,
with a junction on it.

A quick blast of a horn caused her to stick the mascara brush in her eye, almost blinded herself & she just about missed the war memorial on the other side of the road

Street view of the location, from dozy c*nt's point of view. I was behind where the red transit flatbed is

search youtube for 'TOWIE' if you want examples of dozy Essex C*NTS, I refuse to foul this forum with their idiocy.
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Old March 13th, 2013, 02:30 AM   #9
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