As a motorcyclist, one of my most tense moments is peeking in my mirrors while waiting at a red light and noticing the approaching vehicle doesn’t appear to be slowing down.
There is certainly an oh-shit factor when I see that. One has read on many occasions about motorcyclists who were severely injured or killed because some truck or car plowed into them while they were waiting at a red light. While these sorts of crashes can’t always be avoided, I’m offering some concepts to consider to help motorcyclists stay safer and avoid being rear-ended while waiting at red lights.
Here’s a short animation I developed that shows a very dangerous method for waiting at a red light and two other ways that can minimize or even eliminate injury while waiting at a red light.
Ride Safer; Ride Longer!