You come around a corner, heading toward an intersection. You don’t have a stop sign, but the other street does. A car pulls up to the sign and stops. You think the driver saw you, and you take your eyes off of that car.
Suddenly, it’s right in front of you. The driver pulled out into the street, even though you had the right of way. You can’t avoid the crash. You slam into the car, blackout, and wake up on the way to the hospital.
Did you make a mistake? In some senses, you did. Experts warn that you never want to assume that another driver sees your motorcycle. People simply overlook bikes far too often. You’re better off to assume that they have no idea that you’re there, even if they should.
That said — and let’s be very clear about this — that’s not your mistake. It’s theirs. You had the right of way. You didn’t have a stop sign. They caused the accident by failing to yield to through traffic. That is the other driver’s fault, not yours.
It is smart to assume that no one sees you, but that doesn’t mean you’re obligated to change the way you drive just because other drivers do not know how to share the road. Plus, even if you had kept your eyes on the car, you couldn’t stop them from overlooking your bike and pulling out in front of you.
These accidents are far too common. If you get injured like this, you may need compensation for medical bills and other costs.