Today I read another case of a cager making a left-hand turn into the path of an oncoming motorcycle. In this case, the rider survived, so far anyways, but suffered massive injuries...

The man was traveling south on Mesa Drive when a 19-year-old female northbound made a left turn on Southern Avenue. As the female turned left, the motorcycle struck the left front end of her 2004 Chrysler PT Cruiser, police records show. Police have not cited either driver and the investigation is ongoing.

Read the full story here

This scenario is occuring with such greater frequency it seems. Or at least, the media is reporting on them with greater frequency. Either way, I'll admit to you that everytime I see a car waiting to make a left turn, while I am approaching on my motorcycle, I get nervous.

In the case above, the woman in the car struck the motorcycle with the LEFT-FRONT of the car. If you can imagine that scenario in your mind, the motorcycle had to have been right in front of her as she began the turn. Therefore, even if the motorcyclist could have erred for any reason, it was still the cager's fault for not yielding the right of way.

This kind of negligence cannot be written off as just a simple oversight. Even if it is just an oversight, it cannot be let go.

The fact that the rider survived prevents this from becoming a case of involuntary manslaughter, provided the District Attorney would even consider such a charge. But there ought be a criminal charge for this kind of negligent behavior that carries the same weight as manslaughter. This rider's injuries are severe, and he may never fully recover. What's worse, is that these scenarios are playing out with greater frequency.

I don't advise creating any new traffic laws to deal with this. Rather, I advise getting tougher on the people who cause these accidents. Cagers need to have some fear in them. I know that riders can seek remedies through civil lawsuits, but that doesn't help when the rider is dead. We need criminal action as well, whether they kill or maim.

I would hope that we could get to a point where each time this type of accident occurs, the world becomes a little more safer and smarter. But that isn't happening. These dead riders are going to waste.

Labels: Arizona Motorcycle Deaths, Motorcycle Crashes