When it comes to keeping our roads safe, politicians can be inconsistent. They seem to be indifferent, even hostile, to car-centric expansion and society. But when a new subculture shows up — and the automotive industry can wield big money — they can be all over it, telling you about the dangers of car-freak ways.
Take motorcycles. Many people consider them to be safer than ever, in part because we’re spreading them around more. But they also invite plenty of concerns about their fitness for the road, whether we’re driving the bike or a motorcycle passing it.
Motorbike Accident Dangers
Motorcycles can be quite prone to accidents due to a few issues. One is the weight problem. I’m starting to think that it’s really odd that no one’s taken up the catechism that you need to build a bike that’s on the worn side to make it safer to ride. This isn’t true of cars, even if that’s the way cars themselves have been built for centuries.
In an NHTSA report it was found that “Motorcycles are significantly safer than cars” — and it’s true regardless of age. But is this really true in all areas of Canada and the USA? The answer is it depends, and funnily enough the weather plays a big factor!
I was wondering about a similar point that got hammered home in an extensive NPR report this week: “Motorcycles and other vehicles seem to have some drawbacks — and they can lead to accidents. But motorcyclists know about them. They use them to practice tumbling, to crash — or to hang out.
Something else happens to motorcycles, the report goes on to say, and this is where we might encounter the second problem that discourages us from building safer bikes.
As the NPR story makes clear, riders who are afraid that other people will fail to see them, or who fear being distracted by some other device, suffer from what’s called “lane confusion.” According to the NHTSA, “Motorcycles can be particularly vulnerable because drivers of other vehicles appear to be more distracted by their electronic devices than drivers of cars or vans.”
It ought to be noted that motorcycles and other vehicles are generally hard to see because they share the road with so many other vehicles. It’s a mixed bag. This could lead to accidents that would need some help from this site. However, most motorbike drivers are responsible.
And if we want to upgrade the design of bikes and the mobility that comes with them, we’re going to have to do things differently. It means loosening up on two factors that do most to turn a motorcycle into a car: the front end and the safety factors. Taking these things into consideration can have a positive impact on the safety of motorcycles on the road and hopefully lead to fewer accidents.