Information for car drivers

Motorcycles can be difficult to see. They are smaller than other vehicles and they can blend into the background traffic.

Research shows that if you look into oncoming traffic before entering or turning at an intersection, you may not see a motorcycle that is coming towards you. This can cause a serious crash.

Drivers involved in this type of crash often say they looked but just didn’t see the motorcycle. This isn’t a matter of carelessness or poor driving skill – it has to do with  our  brain being unable  to process information quickly. 

Our brains are not perfect, and the road environment is complex and always changing.

We deal with this complexity by using mental short cuts to process information and detect possible hazards. These short cuts mean we are more likely to see and recognise the objects we expect to see. There are fewer motorcycles on the road, so when we look quickly at oncoming traffic we are less likely to see and recognise a motorcycle than something more common such as a car.

Motorcyclists can help reduce the risk of this type of crash by approaching intersections more carefully and by assuming that drivers sometimes make mistakes, but it is the driver’s responsibility to make sure they do not put other road users at risk.

There are actions you, as a driver, can take to reduce the chance that you will enter or turn at an intersection without seeing an oncoming motorcyclist.

• The most important change you can make to your driving is to take more time when looking at oncoming traffic. The research that shows how easy it is to miss seeing an oncoming motorcycle also shows that looking a second time  can solve the problem. If you take more time to study the  oncoming traffic, instead of just briefly looking, you are more likely to see an approaching motorcycle or car.
  Preventing this type of crash involves ‘active looking’ – searching for other vehicles in your field of view.  As you approach an intersection where you want to turn right, take extra time to look at the oncoming traffic before you turn, and then look again. You might have to stop and wait before turning to give yourself enough time to look more carefully. his small delay is much easier to live with than a crash or near miss.
• Other research shows that drivers who are more aware of motorcyclists are less likely to have a collision with one. This is because our expectations influence what we see. Drivers who expect to see motorcycles are more likely to notice them, and are more likely to avoid possible collisions with them.
  You can improve your awareness of motorcycles by making a conscious effort to notice them. The more often you notice motorcycles, the more likely you are to expect to see them in future, and you are then more likely to see them when it is important.
• Studying the oncoming traffic  and increasing your awareness of motorcycles will help reduce the risk of colliding with a motorcycle at an intersection, but they are not perfect solutions.  When you do see a motorcycle in oncoming traffic or, in traffic approaching an intersection, you need to consider the motorcycle when making decisions. It can be difficult to tell how fast a motorcycle is travelling, and motorcycles are able to accelerate more quickly than cars.
  When turning across oncoming traffic or entering an intersection, you should be more cautious if you see a motorcycle – there is more opportunity for drivers to make a bad decision because they are less familiar with motorcycles.

It is  every road user’s  responsibility to look for and avoid potential hazards.

 Motorcycles  can be difficult to see – make sure you look, look  and look again.