Sharing the Road, Impairment, and Crash Avoidance
This domain ties together three threads the Delaware test treats as one: the road users who cannot see you, the substances that destroy the balance and judgment a motorcycle demands, and the split-second choices that decide whether a close call becomes a crash.
Sharing the road
- Trucks: a big rig's blind spots run along both sides, directly behind, and well ahead of the cab. If you cannot see the driver's face in the mirror, the driver cannot see you. Never linger alongside; pass quickly.
- A truck turning right swings wide left first. Never move into the space on its right.
- Give trucks and buses four seconds or more and expect a wind blast when you pass.
- Railroad crossings: cross at a right angle, never stop on the tracks, and watch for a second train.
- Bicycles and pedestrians have the same right to the road; leave bikes at least three feet when passing.
Impairment
Alcohol is the biggest killer in motorcycle crashes because it attacks exactly what a bike demands: balance, throttle and clutch control, and split-second judgment. Delaware's limit is .08 BAC for riders 21 and older; under 21 the limit is .02, effectively zero tolerance. By riding you consent to a chemical test, and refusing means automatic revocation. Prescription drugs, fatigue and heat impair riding just as surely, and a rider has no steel cage to absorb the mistake.
Crash avoidance: SEE
Search ahead, Evaluate the risk, Execute the choice. Most motorcycle crashes involving another vehicle happen at intersections, and the classic is a car turning left across your path. Cover the front brake in traffic, plan an escape path, and be ready to brake in a straight line or swerve - not both.
Worked example
An oncoming sedan's wheels start to cross the centerline as you approach. Search sees it early; Evaluate says the driver is committed to the turn; Execute: brake hard with both brakes while the bike is upright, aiming for the gap behind the car rather than at the car.
Traps that cost marks
Riding in a truck's blind zone; assuming a driver who made eye contact has seen you; "just one drink"; and braking and swerving together in a panic.