19-year-old Florida biker killed by left turning semi
NEED HELP AFTER A MOTORCYCLE CRASH IN CENTRAL FLORIDA? CALL WHITTEL AND MELTON
According to local news reports a 19-year-old Arcadia man riding a motorcycle died in a crash on US-17 late Monday morning. It happened when a semi truck made a left turn in front of him.
Here’s what the local news said about it:
According to Florida Highway Patrol, the motorcyclist was on US-17, navigating a right curve while heading north and nearing the Northeast Arcadia Avenue intersection.
Meanwhile, a semi-truck was stopped in a driveway on US-17. The semi-truck tried turning left onto southbound US 17.
The front of the motorcycle crashed with the left rear drive axle of the semi-truck.
The motorcyclist was pronounced dead at the scene.
The crash remains under investigation, including the pre-crash speed of the motorcycle.
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LETHAL LEFT TURNS:
The U.S. Department of Transportation reports that only 6% of crossing-path crashes involve right turns, compared to 53% of left turns. The number of accidents has virtually doubled! To put it another way, turning left at an intersection is MORE DANGEROUS than turning right at the same intersection. The most obvious benefit is that right-turning drivers are spared from having to cross any oncoming lanes of traffic. Therefore, when making a left turn, motorcycle drivers must be alert not just to approaching traffic in the opposing lane but also to their left to make sure no one is attempting to pass them on the left in their own lane.
Drivers frequently admit after an accident that they were honest when they said, “I didn’t even notice the motorbike when I turned in front of it.” The “left turn problem” has a significant impact on depth perception. A typical commuter may encounter several thousand cars in a day, but other drivers don’t perceive motorcycles the same way they see other cars and trucks. They see how many motorcycles. One? Two? Ten? Whatever number it is, it’s a very small part of the daily driving experience. In addition, due to their size, motorcycles tend to blend in to their surroundings, and it is much harder to see and judge their speed when turning in front of them.
