As Milwaukee gears up for Harley-Davidson’s The RIDE Home over Labor Day weekend, drivers can expect to see motorcycles everywhere, from downtown streets to interstate highways.
MILWAUKEE — The four-day celebration at the Harley-Davidson Museum and participating dealerships is expected to draw riders from across the country, making this one of the busiest weekends of the year for motorcycles in southeast Wisconsin.
That makes this a good time for a simple reminder: look twice before changing lanes.
“Motorcyclists can disappear in a car’s blind spot really quickly,” Motorcycle Safety Foundation rider coach Andrea Yu says. “So, anytime a driver is about to change lanes or merge or maybe even make a turn, just please double check your blind spot. Check those mirrors. Actually turn your head and look. Don’t just rely on your blind spot detectors. A lot of cars have those these days. Sometimes those detectors don’t pick up motorcyclists because we have a much smaller profile.”
Yu says awareness is one of the biggest factors in preventing crashes.
“Sometimes we see an alert on our phone or something, we take our eyes off the road just for a few seconds,” Yu says. “But if you’re driving at like 65 miles per hour, you can cover over 100 feet in one second. So even if you take your eyes off for like three, four, five seconds, you cover more than the length of a football field and a lot can happen in that time.”
Motorcycles can also move within a lane for safety reasons. Yu says riders often shift position to improve their visibility or avoid road hazards, something drivers may not expect.
The safety message isn’t just for people behind the wheel of a car.
“We encourage everyone to follow the rules of the road. Don’t be stunting out there. There’s a time and place for everything. But when you’re on public roads, we want to make sure everyone is safe.”
For anyone interested in learning to ride, Yu recommends taking a certified motorcycle safety course before heading onto public roads.
As Milwaukee welcomes riders from around the country this Labor Day weekend, the best way everyone gets home safely is with a little extra patience and a second look before every lane change.
“Let’s just all be courteous to each other because we really want to keep everyone safe. So, a little courtesy goes a long way.”
For more information about the festivities, you can click here.
