Driving a car is a much more dangerous task than many people realize. However, the risk is even higher for motorcyclists who are constantly around larger vehicles. While not all motorcycle-related accidents are the driver’s fault, it is still good to be more aware of them when sharing the road. If you need a little refresher on how to do so, here are our safety tips for vehicle drivers when motorcycles are present.

Thoroughly Check Your Blind Spots

This is a great habit to have when driving normally, but it’s especially true when a motorcycle is present. If you have noticed a bike in your rear-view mirror at any point while driving but haven’t seen it pass you yet, be sure to check your blind spots before changing lanes. There’s a good chance they’re on the side of you in an area that is hard to observe.

There are many reasons why a motorist might fail to see a motorcycle rider, but since motorcycles are small compared to cars, this is the main reason. Due to their size, you could hit them or force them off the road before you know it. Don’t be afraid to turn your head behind you if you can’t see them in one of your mirrors.

Don’t Harass Motorcyclists

It can be easy to get triggered by a motorcyclist who flies past you at high speeds. If this happens to you, don’t speed up and try to be a nuisance to them for angering you. Instead, take a deep breath and focus on how you felt before you got cut off. If they’re driving that erratically, they’ll probably end up hurting themselves later down the road. If they’re not, you might have overreacted a bit. Either way, getting into an accident over some hurt feelings is never worth it.

Avoid Tailgating

Riding someone’s bumper doesn’t exclusively happen when you’re mad at the driver in front of you; sometimes it’s entirely by accident. That’s why you need to be more aware of this around motorcyclists. More often than not, instead of breaking when coming up to a red light, they’ll downshift to slow down. That means their brake lights won’t come on to warn you that they’re slowing down, which is why you need to be mindful of your surroundings.

Dim Your Headlights at Night

Not many drivers know this, but bright headlights are more blinding to motorcyclists than those in a standard car, which is why we saved this fact for our final safety tip for vehicle drivers when motorcycles are present. The explanation for this is due to the fact that there is nothing between your lights and their mirrors. They can’t push a tab to dim lights coming through their mirrors like you can with your rear-view one, and there aren’t any parts of the motorcycle that can be angled to block the bright light. That’s why you should be courteous and dim yours if you are driving behind a motorcyclist.