As a motorcycle rider, you’re used to the common misconceptions about you. People believe you’re reckless, a bad driver, and have a bad temper. It’s this old school view on bikers as the outsiders in society. However wrong it may be, many people still hold onto this sentiment. Unlike other riders, who know that they are doctors, lawyers, police officers, mothers, and fathers just like you— passenger car driver tend to push all the blame onto you because you’re different than they are.
Common Misconceptions about Bikers: They’re Actually Just Like Us…
Bikers are so reckless
People always assume that the biker is at fault when they see an accident in the roadway. When, at the end of the day, motorcycles require that passenger car drivers pay better attention in the roadway. They aren’t a liability. Rather, they just require that you be an alert, safe, and thoughtful driver. When other vehicles can’t do that, there is often a resulting crash. However, bikers will do anything and everything to avoid it. When it comes down to it, they know that any crash will be much more serious for them than it would be for anyone else.
They’re impatient
When people thinking of a biker splitting the lane, they probably roll their eyes and call them reckless. However, lane splitting, in most cases, is safe, legal, and actually helps clear up the roadways. Of course, when you see those motorcycles zipping through high-speed traffic, cutting between cars going full speed— this is problematic. However, when there is slow-moving traffic, a motorcycle splitting lanes is actually quite helpful to the flow of the roadway. They’re getting out of your way, and head traffic areas can be a danger to them. Therefore, lane splitting is the best way for bikes to clear out of areas with heavy traffic.
How these issues lead to jury bias
These common misconceptions, among many others, lead to an even larger issue for bikers. Say, there’s an instance like we discussed up top, where there is an accident and an injured biker. It was not their fault, but it’s too close to call. So, the biker goes to court. Now, it’s important that you understand, most people on that jury are likely going to be passenger car drivers. Therefore, they will hold many of the common misconceptions close. Therefore, when they see a biker— they see a reckless, speed demon, who likely caused the problem in the first place.
So, as you can see, being a biker— or worse, an injured biker, is bad news for most drivers. They don’t see you as the guy down the street, the Dad at T-ball games, or the Mom who bakes homemade cookies for the neighbors. When you hit the streets on your two wheels, you’re scary to them. Because of these perceptions, bikers face an increased risk of bias and injury.