Avoiding A Motorcycle Rider's Worst Nightmare -- Head-On Collisions With Left-Turning Vehicles
We riders all know that feeling. Motoring along in a line of traffic with an intersection ahead, an opposite-facing vehicle with its left turn indicator on waiting for a break in the traffic to punch through its left turn. You ease off the throttle and get ready to brake, wondering if that oncoming driver will see you and not start the left turn ten feet before you reach the vehicle. We discuss how left-turn collisions happen and ways to try to avoid them.
Left-turn accidents are dangerous for all drivers, but particularly motorcyclists. Unfortunately, left-turn crashes are a common type of motorcycle wreck. Left-turn crashes can cause the motorcycle rider to suffer catastrophic injuries, such as skull fractures, traumatic brain injuries, broken bones, spinal injuries, abdominal injuries, facial disfigurement. T-bone collisions, such as those caused by left-turn accidents, are also a leading cause of motorcycle fatalities.
Left-turn collisions are usually caused by the turning driver’s negligence. There are number of possible causes for that:
Failing to see the rider. Because of a motorcycle’s smaller size and lower profile, it is less visible to other vehicle operators. That’s especially problematic in traffic — The turning driver may see the vehicles immediately ahead and behind the motorcyclist, miss the motorcycle, and turn between the other two vehicles thinking that there’s an opening there, only to encounter a motorcycle instead.
The yellow light rocket. Yellow lights with vehicles waiting to turn left are a recipe for disaster. Those turning drivers may expect the oncoming traffic to stop for the yellow, leaving the turning driver a clear intersection. That’s often accompanied by a sudden hit to the accelerator because the driver doesn’t want to be in the intersection when the light turns red. That can cause the driver to suddenly turn left in front of vehicles moving through the intersection on yellow, including motorcycles.
Lawbreakers. Some people, usually intoxicated drivers, simply drive recklessly. That includes failing to yield to oncoming traffic when turning left at stoplights, turning left from stop signs, or just simply turning left from general road travel. That last one’s actually the most common — Reckless drivers simply reach their left turn, whether it’s a driveway or a different street, tap their brakes, and hang a left as if they have the road to themselves without checking oncoming traffic.
Distracted driving. Being able to see smaller motorcycles and judging the time to turn left requires a driver’s total concentration. When the driver’s texting, using a cell phone, or eating and drinking, the driver can fail to see the motorcyclist or otherwise make a mistake that causes a left-turn accident.
Making a mistake. Sometimes the left-turning driver sees the motorcycle but misjudges the bike’s distance or speed. That leads to a left turn that shouldn’t have been made, rather than waiting for the motorcyclist to pass.
Some left-turn collisions are unavoidable for the motorcyclist. They’re simply the unlucky result of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. But there are steps riders can take to decrease the chances that it’s their number that’s called the next time there’s a left-turn crash involving a motorcycle:
Be visible. I know that not everyone wears bright-colored clothing while riding, but at least make sure that your headlamp’s on and set to highbeam during the daytime. A daytime rider in dark clothing on a motorcycle without a working headlamp might as well be invisible against the backdrop of other vehicles, pavement, buildings, and trees and vegetation.
Pay attention and assume that the turning driver doesn’t see you. When approaching a vehicle waiting to turn left, either in your direction or in front of you, act as if the other driver doesn’t see you and be prepared to maneuver, brake, or slow down. The 1-2 seconds you save by already being prepared may make a difference if in fact that other driver turns in front of you. That of course means that you have to pay attention to the traffic so that you don’t miss the left-turning vehicle that may suddenly be in front of you the first time you see it.
Maintain a reasonable speed and consider lowering it at intersections with traffic lights. The faster you move, the harder you’re making it for other drivers to see you and the more likely you’re making it that they’ll misjudge your speed and turn in front of you. Especially consider taking it easy going through intersections that are controlled by traffic lights. Drivers waiting to turn left have to monitor things besides your bike — Other traffic, pedestrians, and the state of the light. Don’t make a busy intersection worse by blasting through it at excessive speed.
Watch out for yellow lights. I discussed this above, but riders also need to take care at yellow lights. The law requires you to slow and stop for that yellow if you can safely do so. That guarantees that the driver trying to turn left can safely clear the intersection on that yellow and you can continue on your way at the next green after a short delay. Accelerating to “beat the light” when it turns yellow is not only illegal but also a great way to get yourself killed when the driver waiting to turn left expects you to follow the law and yield on yellow and in turn follows the law, begins the left turn to clear the intersection, and legally places a vehicle directly in the path of your suddenly accelerating bike. Best case, you’ll be ending your day in the emergency room, if you’re lucky, and will still be alive to address the traffic citation that you’ll receive for failing to yield on yellow.
Maintain proper following distance. There are many reasons for not tailgating the vehicles in front of you, but one of them is to make your motorcycle visible to traffic that’s waiting to turn left. I mentioned that above. When you follow too closely, the vehicle in front of you can block your motorcycle from the view of drivers down the road. They might turn after that vehicle in front of you passes, not realizing that there was also a smaller vehicle that couldn’t be seen behind the larger one. Stay far enough behind the vehicle in front of you that your bike’s visible to any drivers looking in your direction while trying to find a traffic opening in which to make their left turn.
Not only will the above considerations make a difference in the real world, they might also make a difference in the legal world if a claim’s made for injuries caused by a motorcycle accident. Don’t help the opposing insurance company and defense attorney make the inevitable “blame the biker” arguments by operating your motorcycle in a manner that gives them evidence to support that theory. Drivers who turn left in front of motorcycles are not automatically at fault for the collision and the rider’s injuries. The other driver can try to partially or completely avoid fault by blaming the motorcyclist. That’s easy to do when riders operate their bikes in a manner that increases the chance of a left-turn collision.