Motorcycles are inherently less safe than vehicles for road and track use, and this is because many more ways can lead to an injury in the event of an accident. Moreover, since the rider is exposed to the elements, even impacts at low speeds can bring a severe injury, or worse. For years, drivers have been told to pay more attention, but it does not work that way.
Instead, the problem lies in the middle, in most cases. Even if riders have right of way, drivers may not see them approaching, or they may estimate their velocity with a serious error. Meanwhile, riders can reach high speeds quicker than most drivers do, which is why many often find themselves breaking the speed limit.
Sadly, there is no sure way of permanently eliminating any risk from motorcycling, and accidents may still occur even with more advanced vehicles. The elimination or drastic reduction of human-driven vehicles is believed to help reduce the number of accidents, but it is unclear how popular self-riding motorcycles could be today, tomorrow, or in the distant future. The latter is a different discussion, though.
Now, Ryan from FortNine has prepared a different explanation, which is inspired by a French study. It is detailed at the end of the video that you can find below. The explanation involves making a comparison with pigeons. As you may be aware, they can only use one eye to look in a particular direction.
Humans are fortunate enough to be born with two eyes facing the same general direction, but Ryan points out that, at a crossroads, you are just as good at evaluating speed as a pigeon is. Why? Because you can only use one eye when you are observing the road at a glance.
The biggest problem, at that point, is that motorcycles will always be narrower than vehicles, so you will not see them as easily. Moreover, if they are far away from you, but traveling fast, your eyes might not notice them at all, because they look like a dot in the distance.
In Ryan's view, the solution is to stick to the speed limit while riding, especially near intersections. Be advised to have a foot over your brake pedal, as well as to cover your front brake with at least a finger or two, to have a fighting chance at an emergency stop maneuver.
As always, ride at the pace that allows you to also be capable of going on a ride tomorrow, not just today.
Sebastian's love for cars began at a young age. Little did he know that a career would emerge from this passion (and that it would not, sadly, involve being a professional racecar driver). In over fourteen years, he got behind the wheel of several hundred vehicles and in the offices of the most important car publications in his homeland. Full profile
Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?
Google News