Sharing the road with motorcycles — Alabama Permit Test

Before turning left in front of an oncoming motorcycle, look and look again, and make sure you know its speed.

Left turns in front of motorcycles cause many injury crashes because drivers miss the bike or misjudge how fast it is coming.

SPEED OF THE MOTORCYCLE BEFORE MAKING A LEFT TURN.

Motorcycles are only about two feet wide, compared with the five-to-six-foot width of a car, so they are not easily seen in traffic.

Something that narrow can hide behind a post or another car, so drivers have to look for it on purpose.

Motorcycles are only about two feet wide compared with the five-to-six-foot width of an automobile.

Turn signals on most motorcycles do not cancel themselves, so before turning in front of one, be sure it is really turning and not riding on with a forgotten signal.

A blinking signal is not proof a rider is about to turn, and guessing wrong puts the bike into your door.

Turn signals are not automatically self-canceling on most motorcycles.

Following a motorcycle too closely may make the rider nervous and distract their attention from the road and traffic ahead.

A rider who keeps watching the car on their tail is not watching the road, and a small slip on two wheels can be a fall.

Following too closely may make the rider nervous, causing the rider’s attention to be distracted from the road and traffic ahead.

Motorcycles are entitled to the same full lane width as all other vehicles, and it is illegal and hazardous to move into the same lane alongside one.

A rider moves around in the lane to be seen and to avoid things in the road, and needs the whole lane to do it.

Motorcycles are entitled to the same full lane width as all other vehicles.

Allow even more following distance behind a motorcycle when it is dark, raining, or the road is wet and slippery.

Bad weather cuts a rider's grip and vision, and they may slow or change course suddenly.

Drivers should allow even more following distance for motorcyclists when it’s dark, raining, or the road surface is wet and slippery.

Cross winds, and the windblast from fast-moving large trucks, can move a motorcycle out of its lane, especially on wide-open highways and bridges.

A light bike can be pushed sideways by a gust, so give it room to recover.

Areas to look out for are wide-open, long stretches of highways and bridges.

Gravel, debris, pavement seams, small animals and even manhole covers may make a motorcyclist suddenly change speed or direction.

Things a car rolls over can throw a two-wheeled bike off balance, so expect a rider to swerve around them.

Gravel, debris, pavement seams, small animals, and even manhole covers may cause the motorcyclist to change speed or direction.

At a rough or angled railroad crossing, a motorcyclist may slow down or change direction so the tracks can be crossed head on.

Crossing rails at an angle can catch a narrow tire, so riders straighten up first.

The rider may slow down or change direction so the tracks can be crossed head on.

Metal or grated bridges, and grooved pavement, can make a motorcycle's front tire wobble, which may cause an inexperienced rider to change direction or slow down quickly.

A wobble feels alarming on two wheels, so expect a rider to react to it.

Metal or grated bridges create a wobbling sensation in the front tire of the motorcycle greater than the feeling experienced in a car.

Regardless of who is legally at fault in a car and motorcycle crash, the motorcyclist usually is the loser.

A rider has no steel around them, so even a minor crash can kill or maim.

Regardless of who is legally at fault in car/cycle accidents, the motorcyclist usually is the loser.

What should you do before turning left across the path of an oncoming motorcycle?

Look again and judge its speed first. Left turns in front of motorcycles cause many injury crashes because drivers miss the bike or misjudge how fast it is coming. Alabama Driver Manual, p.25: “SPEED OF THE MOTORCYCLE BEFORE MAKING A LEFT TURN.”