Calling All Drivers

Hi0001

The Motorcycle Safety Foundation

Whether you’re a manager of a large company, someone who drives a truck for a living, or just a concerned car driver, you can find valuable resources here that may save a life, whether it be yours or someone else’s. Learn how to safely interact with motorcyclists from the people who know the challenges of motorcycling the best – the Motorcycle Safety Foundation.

The Motorcycle Safety Foundation’s mission is to make motorcycling safer and more enjoyable by ensuring access to lifelong quality education and training for current and prospective riders, and by advocating a safer riding environment. For information on our rider training courses as well as safety strategies for motorcyclists, visit msf-usa.org.

About MSF

Are You Road Ready?

contract

A Driver’s Commitment to Safety, Family and Friends

No matter how much–or how little–experience you have with driving, our Contract for Safety can be a valuable tool for any driver. Go over the checklist, and pledge to be a better, more responsible and safer driver.

Download PDF

Ten Things All Car & Truck Drivers Should Know About Motorcycles

for-car-drivers-01

Your Car Can Kill

Over half of all fatal motorcycle crashes involve another vehicle. Most of the time, the motorist, not the motorcyclist, is at fault. There are a lot more cars and trucks than motorcycles on the road, and some drivers don’t “recognize” a motorcycle – they ignore it (usually unintentionally).
for-car-drivers-02

Look Out For Us, Please

Because of its small size, a motorcycle can be easily hidden in a car’s blind spots (door/roof pillars) or masked by objects or backgrounds outside a car (bushes, fences, bridges, etc). Take an extra moment to look for motorcycles, whether you’re changing lanes or turning at intersections.
for-car-drivers-03

Check Again, and Again

Because of its small size, a motorcycle may look farther away than it is. It may also be difficult to judge a motorcycle’s speed. When checking traffic to turn at an intersection or into (or out of) a driveway, predict a motorcycle is closer than it looks.
for-car-drivers-04

Keep a Safe Distance

Motorcyclists often slow by downshifting or merely rolling off the throttle, thus not activating the brake light. Allow more following distance, say 3 or 4 seconds. At intersections, predict a motorcyclist may slow down without visual warning.
for-car-drivers-05

Lane Changing

Motorcyclists often adjust position within a lane to be seen more easily and to minimize the effects of road debris, passing vehicles, and wind. Understand that motorcyclists adjust lane position for a purpose, not to be reckless or show off or to allow you to share the lane with them.
for-car-drivers-06

Be Sure About that Signal

Turn signals on a motorcycle usually are not self-canceling, thus some riders (especially beginners) sometimes forget to turn them off after a turn or lane change. Make sure a motorcycle’s signal is for real.
for-car-drivers-07

Nimble – Most of the Time

Maneuverability is one of a motorcycle’s better characteristics, especially at slower speeds and with good road conditions, but don’t expect a motorcyclist to always be able to dodge out of the way.
for-car-drivers-08

Give Yourself Time to Stop

Stopping distance for motorcycles is nearly the same as for cars, but slippery pavement makes stopping quickly difficult. Allow more following distance behind a motorcycle because you can’t always stop “on a dime.”
for-car-drivers-09

See the Person

When a motorcycle is in motion, see more than the motorcycle – see the person under the helmet, who could be your friend, neighbor, or relative.
for-car-drivers-10

No Take-Backs

If a driver crashes into a motorcyclist, bicyclist, or pedestrian and causes serious injury, the driver would likely never forgive himself/herself.

Intersection

The Intersection module is MSF’s newest approach to enhancing motorist awareness of motorcycles. The program combines personal stories and character development with a dramatic new look at a crash scene that’s all too common. The DVD contains three separate 13-minute versions to appeal to teens (via driver education classes), adults (via traffic schools), and commercial drivers (via employee orientation). Includes Leader’s Guide, ten Participant’s Guides, and 25 Quick Tips brochures. (4 minutes)
Watch Now

Learn: The SEE Strategy

SEE is an active, thinking strategy that places responsibility on the motor vehicle operator to reduce risk by creating time and space in order to control a personal margin of safety.

Learn More
SeeChart