Watch why motorcyclists should keep to the speed limit and avoid riding between lanes
Motorcyclists have less protection in traffic and less room for error than drivers. That is why speeding, moving between lanes and making manoeuvres from behind other vehicles can turn a dangerous situation into a serious crash very quickly.
Less visibility, less time to react
When a motorcyclist rides faster than the speed limit or changes lane where it is not allowed, they reduce the chance that other road users can notice and judge their movement in time. Riding between vehicles is especially dangerous, as is appearing in another driver’s field of vision from behind a larger vehicle.
In that situation, a driver may begin a turn or another manoeuvre believing the road is clear, while in reality a motorcycle is approaching at speed.
The crash was caught on video
A traffic accident captured on video showed a motorcycle travelling straight ahead hitting a car that was making a left turn. According to the expert assessment, the motorcycle was moving at around 73 km/h before braking and at 67 km/h at the moment of impact.
The driver could not see the motorcycle when beginning the left turn, because at that moment the bike was still hidden behind another vehicle. Since the motorcyclist was speeding and made an illegal lane change, the motorcyclist was found to have caused the accident.
The rider survived. He received a €680 fine and also had to pay €731 in expert assessment costs.
In city traffic, 20 metres can decide everything
A vehicle travelling at 73 km/h needs roughly 20 metres more to stop than one travelling at 50 km/h. In urban traffic, that difference can decide whether a situation ends with a scare or a crash.
For a motorcyclist, speed rarely buys much time. More often, it takes it away exactly when there is none left to spare.
