6.5 Motorcycles, Mopeds, Scooters & Slow-Moving Vehicles

Motorcycles

Motorcyclists have the same rights and privileges as any other driver, but a motorcyclist is six times more likely than a car driver to be hurt in a crash. Motorcycles are smaller than cars and trucks, so it is harder to judge their speed and distance. Maryland's Look Twice campaign adds that motorcyclists are injured in nearly 75% of crashes, and that in car-motorcycle crashes the car driver is at fault more than half the time.

The Manual's Rules for Driving Near Motorcycles

• Yield to an oncoming motorcycle when turning left. Failing to yield can bring a citation with significant penalties and can cause serious injury. This is one of the most common car-motorcycle crash types.
• Look twice before changing lanes or merging. Use your mirrors and look over your shoulder. Motorcycles hide in blind spots and are easy to miss with a quick glance.
• Do not share a lane with a motorcycle. Riders move within the lane to avoid potholes and oil, to handle wind, and to be seen. Motorcyclists may use the whole lane, and Maryland law says no motor vehicle may deprive a motorcycle of the full use of a lane.
• Do not tailgate. Leave at least a 3-to-4-second following distance. Motorcycles may slow for hazards such as gravel, wet roads or railroad crossings, and riders often slow without their brake lights coming on.
• Leave plenty of space when passing. Wind gusts and drafts from your vehicle can affect a motorcycle. See the motorcycle's headlight in your rear-view mirror before moving back.
• If a motorcyclist is passing you, keep your speed steady and let them finish.
• Group rides: use your turn signal early, wait for riders to make room, and merge only where there is enough space. With a small group, it may be easier to slow down and let the group pass.

Anyone who wants a motorcycle license should study the Motorcycle Operator Manual on the MVA website.

Why Motorcycles Are Easy to Miss

• A motorcycle's narrow front profile can hide behind a pillar, mirror or another car.
• Its single headlight makes speed and distance hard to judge.
• Riders often change position within the lane to avoid hazards.
• Engine braking can slow a motorcycle without turning on the brake light.

Mopeds and Motor Scooters

Drivers of mopeds and motor scooters must follow all traffic laws. Car and truck drivers must watch for them closely, because their size makes them very hard to see.

Be especially careful around mopeds and scooters at intersections, where they may be turning or going straight, and on narrow roads with little room to pass. Maryland's 3-foot passing rule also applies to motor scooters.

Slow-Moving Vehicles

You may come across slow-moving vehicles, including bicycles, horse-drawn vehicles and farm vehicles. Some display the slow-moving vehicle sign, an orange triangle with a red border, on the back to show they travel 25 mph or less.

The manual's tips:

• Stay aware of any vehicles that may be traveling much slower than you.
• Change your speed and position if necessary.
• Pass only when it is safe to do so, never in a no-passing zone or near a hill or curve.
• If you must follow the slow vehicle while waiting for a safe time to pass, use your emergency flashers to warn drivers coming up behind you.

Closing speed is the hazard. If you are going 50 mph and come over a hill behind a tractor going 15 mph, you close the gap at 35 mph, which is more than 50 feet every second.

Funeral Processions and Other Slow Groups

Funeral processions also move slowly, with headlights and hazard lights on. Yield to them until all vehicles have passed (see Section 3.2).

Scenario Practice

1. You are waiting to turn left, and a single headlight is approaching. Assume it is a motorcycle that is closer and faster than it looks; yield and let it pass.
2. A motorcycle is in the left part of your lane ahead. Do not pull alongside it in the same lane.
3. A moped is on the shoulder of a road posted 45 mph. It is allowed there; pass with at least 3 feet.
4. A horse-drawn buggy with an orange triangle is ahead on a two-lane road with a double yellow line. Slow down, follow at a safe distance with flashers on, and pass only where it is legal and safe.