Before you can get an endorsement to drive a motorcycle in Indiana, you need extra education about how to safely operate these unique vehicles. You must demonstrate an understanding of the law and the ability to drive safely, just like those seeking a basic driver’s license.
The extra training that you receive can help you avoid a crash, but you can’t prevent other drivers from potentially hurting you. Frequently, motorcycle collisions are the result not of an unsafe biker but rather a mistake or oversight by the person in the bigger vehicle.
Why do drivers so often hit motorcyclists?
Driving overstimulates the brain
There’s a biological explanation for why drivers don’t see you. Your brain can process an astonishing amount of information, but it will still struggle to handle all of the visual information it receives when you drive.
The faster you drive, the more quickly environments around you change, so your brain must prioritize some information over others. You will consciously focus on what your brain subconsciously deems dangerous.
Inattentional blindness, which is the phenomenon of looking but not seeing, is one of the most common contributing factors to motorcycle collisions. Details that don’t seem safety-critical may completely escape someone’s notice. For those in motor vehicles, it is possible to look right at a motorcycle and not mentally register its presence.
If a driver says that they didn’t see a motorcycle before a crash, inattentional blindness could be to blame. That doesn’t make them any less at fault for a collision with your motorcycle. It’s wise to have legal guidance to help you protect your rights after a crash.
