Daytime lights in the prevention of motorcycle accidents

In the prevention of motorcycle accidents much has been made of the use of daytime lights to aid conspicuity of motorcyclists and their machines. However Stephen Prower, a research officer of the British Motorcyclists Federation, believes that the case in favour of using daytime lights is based upon scant and wrong scrutiny of the causes of conspicuity accidents.

In a paper titled "Prevention of motorcycle conspicuity accidents" Prower suggests that it is not necessarily the inconspicuousness of motorbikes that is the cause of "failure to see" accidents and the sole use of daytime lights will not alleviate the frequency of these incidents significantly.

As well as the small size of motorbikes in relation to other vehicles on the road, he suggests certain other reasoning behind accidents where car drivers profess to not have seen the motorbike before the accident.

He states that (1) motorbikes are often obscured by trees and parked vehicles more easily than larger vehicles and that (2) motorcycle riders are often preoccupied with the state of the road and so their full attention is not focused on vehicular and pedestrian hazard perception.

Furthermore, (3) accidents can be caused by the failure of the car driver to ensure the road is clear of all oncoming vehicles, including motorbikes, as a result of carelessness or restricted head movement, and (4) the inability of car drivers to estimate the speed of an oncoming motorbike is problematic.

Prower believes that the main way to prevent conspicuity accidents is by training and informing motorbike riders and car drivers of the dangers associated with motorbikes and visibility, and to address all road users' preconceived ideas about other road users and their driving behaviour. He believes that the running of daytime lights stands in the way of acceptance by car drivers and bikers alike that "failure to see" accidents are caused by many other causal factors relating to attitude and perceptual ability.

To read Stephen Prower's discussion of conspicuity accidents click on this link.

YouClaim and motorcycle accident claims
If you have been injured in a road accident where another party was wholly or partly to blame then you may be able to make a compensation claim. Our personal injury solicitors are experts in the field of motorcycle claims and have already helped many bikers receive 100% compensation for their injuries. Working on a no win, no fee basis our lawyers never charge clients for their costs and fees, even in a lost case, so you can be sure you are protected at all times.

To start a compensation claim please call our free UK helpline on 0800 10 757 95 and tell us about your motorcycle accident. Alternatively, we can call you back at a time to suit you, or you may wish to fill in our online claim form. Whichever way you choose to contact us, you can rest assured YouClaim is here to help.