Lethal left turn leaves NY bikers, child dead
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HOLBROOK, NY — Police in New York say a biker, his passenger and a child are dead after a driver made a left turn in front of the motorcycle.
ACCORDING TO LOCAL REPORTS:
Emanuel Dandrea was driving a 2020 Chevrolet Equinox westbound on the highway around 1:20 p.m. when he tried to turn left toward Coates Avenue and collided with a 2002 Honda motorcycle heading east, according to police.
Both Dandrea, 74, of Shoreham, and the driver of the motorcycle, Alaaeldien Elfaham, 23, of Deer Park, died at the scene, police said.
Two children in the SUV were also hurt. An 11-year-old died later at the hospital. READ THE FULL STORY HERE.
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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.