Drivers must look for cycles

April 09, 2008 05:58 pm

— Now that outdoor temperatures have crept above 60, motorists must retrain themselves to look for motorcycles.
Last Thursday, a cyclist was critically injured at U.S. 31 and 500 South in Miami County. He died Saturday. Monday, a motorcyclist was injured at Ind. 218 and Ind. 29.
In both accidents, police said motorists pulled out in front of the bikes. A 1981 study suggests motorcycle accidents usually are caused by drivers of cars and trucks and nearly all result in injury to the cyclist.
With funding from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, researcher Harry Hunt of the University of Southern California investigated 900 motorcycle accidents and 3,600 accident reports involving motorcycles in the Los Angeles area. Hunt found:
• About 75 percent of the motorcycle accidents involved a collision with another vehicle.
• In 66 percent of the collisions, another vehicle violated the motorcycle right-of-way and caused the accident.
• Failure of drivers to see motorcycles was the predominating cause of the accidents.
• Intersections were the most likely place for the motorcycle accident, with the other vehicles violating the motorcycle right-of-way.
• The likelihood of injury was extremely high in these motorcycle accidents. Ninety-eight percent of accidents with another vehicle resulted in some kind of injury to the motorcycle operator.
It’s clear drivers must be alert to the presence of motorcyclists. Expect to see motorcycles at all times. Allow motorcycles as much space as a car when passing them. And be particularly aware of motorcycles at intersections.
Motorcyclists are 21 times more likely as those traveling in a passenger car to die in a traffic accident, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Association. Look for them while on the road.