Two motorcycle accidents less than three weeks apart that took the lives of two Cape May County residents were classic examples of the most dangerous situation motorcyclists face on the road.
In both cases there was a collision between a motorcycle and a left-turning automobile.
According to nolo.com, a legal issues website, “Collisions between cars making left-hand turns and motorcycles are common, and often deadly.”
Nolo.com quoted the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration, which said in 2021, “In 43% of all fatal crashes involving another vehicle and a motorcycle, the other vehicle was turning left at the time of the crash.”
Rideapart.com lists a car turning left in front of a motorcycle as “the most common motorcycle accident,” as did cellinolaw.com. Rideapart.com explained that the car either misjudges the motorcycle’s speed or simply fails to see the motorcycle and turns in front of it at an intersection. Personalinjuryinmiami.com reported, “In 2020, there were 2,741 fatal crashes between vehicles and motorcycles, with 1,158 of these accidents involving the other vehicle turning left.”
On Sept. 12, the driver of an SUV was making a left turn into a sports complex and was struck on the passenger side rear portion of her vehicle. The accident took the life of the motorcycle operator, Addiel Ortiz, 31, of Millville, and of the SUV’s passenger, Easton Beisler, 9, of Ocean View.
On Oct. 2, Robert Pfaff III, 40, of Villas, was killed in a collision involving a vehicle that was turning left into a marina parking lot. Pfaff’s passenger was critically injured.
The websites cited, and others, describe the typical situation as being when the motorcycle is traveling straight through an intersection and the passenger or commercial vehicle is turning left. Rideapart.com referred to a psychological factor for such accidents, saying that in some cases, “a driver looking for cars perceives merely an absence of cars, not the presence of a motorcycle.”
Robert Zurich, of Motorcycle Rider Training in Englishtown, said a similar phenomenon occurs when a motorcycle is riding behind a much larger vehicle, such as a tractor-trailer. He said whether psychological or an optical illusion, a car driver might not see the motorcycle and pull out in front of it. Because a motorcycle is smaller than an automobile, it is less visible to other drivers. Add other factors, such as distracted drivers and speeding, and the motorcyclist is always at a disadvantage, he said.
According to motorcyclezombies.com, “Motorcycle safety is ultimately the rider’s responsibility. You need to be prepared for the most dangerous situations. That includes recognizing and avoiding them before they happen, reacting properly when they do, and keeping yourself protected.”
The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration site says 6,218 people were killed in motorcycle accidents in 2022, an increase of about 1% over 2021. The number of motorcycle accidents increased about 3% over the same time period. Nearly a quarter of motorcycle accidents involve fixed objects and not other vehicles. Electric bicycles are not considered motor vehicles.
Regarding left-turn accidents, Zurich said, “We cover that very clearly” in Motorcycle Rider Training’s course.
Zurich, who has been riding a motorcycle since 1964 and has been teaching motorcycle safety for more than 28 years, said they teach motorcycle riders the “12-second rule.”
“You need to be searching 12 seconds ahead, have multiple escape routes, and build a strategy,” he said.
He said in the last fatality where he was present, a left-turning car broadsided a motorcycle.
“The driver just didn’t see him and cut across the left lane to get through a barrier cutout,” Zurich said. “It happened on Christmas Eve.”
He said the accident was 100% unavoidable. “That is the only one, as an examiner, that was completely unavoidable,” he said.
Zurich said Motorcycle Rider Training teaches motorcyclists very explicitly that they are invisible to motorists. “We’re smaller, less conspicuous,” he said.
He referred to his example of the tractor-trailer where there is an 18-wheeler, a motorcycle and a car in the same lane. He asked, if you are in the car, what are you going to see? He said the average motorist will focus on the tractor-trailer and adjust their distance from the back of the large vehicle.
He said the biggest problem is that the public is not aware of motorcycles on the roadway. However, in New Jersey, there is another significant problem with motorists.
“In New Jersey, drivers have no patience, there is strictly no patience,” Zurich said.
He gave a personal example with regard to stop signs. According to N.J.S.A. § 39:4-144, any driver approaching an intersection marked with a stop sign must bring his or her vehicle to a complete stop within 5 feet of the nearest crosswalk or stop line.
Zurich said he once came to a stop at a stop sign and a motorist behind him ran into him. The driver, he said, jumped out of his car and started yelling at him. He said there happened to be a policeman nearby, and he stopped to see what had happened.
“This idiot stopped!” the car’s driver said.
The policeman told the motorist Zurich had done what he was supposed to do.
“But there was no one coming!” the driver protested.
Zurich said these kinds of incidents are covered in the course his company offers. He said students are required to take a five-hour online course before they even come to his school. As a result, New Jersey accepts his company’s certification in lieu of a test.
According to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration, 35% of those involved in accidents on motorcycles never bothered to get licensed.
Zurich said the state Motor Vehicle Commission evaluates the school, adding that it takes the better part of a year to become certified as a coach for motorcycle riders.
Motorcycle Rider Training is located at Raceway Park, 230 Pension Road, Englishtown, NJ 07726, 732-905-7448.
Contact the reporter, Christopher South, at csouth@cmcherald.com or 609-886-8600, ext. 128.
