As a motorcyclist, one of my most tense moments is peeking in my mirrors while waiting at a red light and noticing the approaching vehicle doesn’t appear to be slowing down. There is certainly an oh-shit factor when I see that. One has read on many occasions about motorcyclists who were severely injured or killed because some truck or car plowed into them while they were waiting at a red light. While these sorts of crashes can’t always be avoided, I’m offering some concepts to consider to help motorcyclists stay safer and avoid being rear-ended while waiting at red lights.
Here’s a short animation I developed that shows a very dangerous method for waiting at a red light and two other ways that can minimize or even eliminate injury while waiting at a red light.
Ride Safer; Ride Longer!
I was hit from behind ~18 months ago, so I’m overly sensitive about monitoring my 6 o’clock. Thankfully, my injuries were minimal. I added a brake light modulator to my latest bike – one that is triggered by the application of the brake. When stopped at a light and I see a car approaching, I let off the brake and reapply, thereby triggering the modulator flash sequence. Having the bike in gear with an escape path are also essential