Distracted driving is a major safety concern. People have always found ways to divert their attention from the road, but digital technology has significantly worsened distracted driving rates.
People are so dependent on their mobile devices that they may struggle to ignore notifications about text messages, social media interactions and emails. Distracted drivers cause thousands of preventable collisions every year, some of which involve motorcycles.
How does driver distraction influence motorcycle safety?
Drivers may not notice nearby motorcycles
People splitting their attention between road conditions and mobile devices cannot adequately monitor their surroundings. They may only glance in front of them before looking back down at their phones. Drivers distracted by devices on highways could merge right in front of a motorcycle rider, cutting them off and causing a crash. They could also sideswipe a rider in the lane next to them.
Those stopped at intersections are not much safer. Drivers often use intersections as an opportunity to check their devices. They may then proceed through an intersection because they failed to notice a motorcycle rider who has the right of way.
Distraction serves to amplify the challenges drivers already have noticing motorcycles on the road. Drivers who don’t monitor the road actively can cause preventable collisions that put motorcycle riders in the hospital and leave their motorcycles unsafe for use.
Riders injured by inattentive, distracted drivers may have the right to request financial compensation from a motorist at fault for a recent wreck. Holding distracted drivers accountable for causing motorcycle collisions may require an insurance claim or possibly even a personal injury lawsuit.