Drivers urged to 'look closer' for motorbikes and cyclists at junctions to help save lives

Drivers in Greater Manchester are being urged to ‘look closer’ to help keep cyclists and motorcyclists safer on our roads.

Taking the time to check far, middle and near distances when approaching and emerging from junctions can make a real difference and save a life.

The latest road safety campaign by Safer Roads Greater Manchester aims to equip motorists with the information they need to drive safely in and around junctions.

When driving and turning at junctions, drivers should look three times – firstly all the way down the road, then halfway down, and then closer to the vehicle.

By pausing to ‘Look Far, Look Near and Look Closer’, drivers are more likely to see motorcyclists, cyclists and other road users who can be harder to see.

Gary Hale, an engineer from Wigan who has over 20 years’ experience of riding motorbikes, has only ever had two collisions – but both involved a vehicle pulling in front of him at junctions.

"I was travelling on a side road and a driver did a right-turn at the mouth of a junction, he just didn’t see me at all,” said Gary.

“He was doing a u-turn and he just swung around and hit me. I was knocked off my bike, but luckily I escaped with just a broken little finger and the bike was salvageable.

“On the other occasion I was travelling along the road and somebody came out of a side road across an unmarked crossroads and ran into the side of me, but luckily I was only going quite slow.

“I would say to people driving vehicles to take the time to look carefully for that small detail of movement. They can be more attentive when it’s another vehicle coming towards them but if it’s something small like a bike or a motorcycle, they can be easily missed and that’s why they don’t see them.”

Drivers not looking properly is one of the main contributing factors for serious road collisions.

More than 1,200 motorcyclists and cyclists were killed or seriously injured on Greater Manchester’s roads between 2017 and 2021 – a third of them as a result of a collision involving a vehicle that was turning right.

Dame Sarah Storey, active travel commissioner for Greater Manchester, said: "I have personal experience of being hit by a driver who didn't look properly when entering a roundabout on which I was riding and so I know the feeling of terror when you feel the weight of a vehicle on your body and subsequently the force of hitting the road.

“This experience has left me permanently scarred and I still find junctions terrifying at times.

 

 

“We use the 3-2-1 countdown in life so often, so adopting this whilst turning as a driver makes a lot of sense.

“By looking far first you are checking the speed of something that may end up arriving at your location far sooner than you might expect. People on motorbikes or road bikes are just as likely to be travelling the speed of a vehicle, so never assume there is time to turn if you notice a motorcyclist or cyclist at the first check.

“Checking close and then closer also gives you the chance to properly assess the safety of the turn you are about to make. Please be patient when other drivers are making these checks in front of you too and please don't tailgate someone on a turn because the vehicle in front is likely to be masking something you will need to be aware of before making the turn yourself.”

Peter Boulton, TfGM’s head of highways, added: “All drivers know the importance of always looking out for other road users, particularly when pulling out of a junction or making a right turn.

“Unfortunately, over recent years hundreds of people riding bikes and motorbikes have been killed or seriously injured as a result of a collision involving a vehicle turning right at a junction. Every road death or serious injury is a tragedy, a life ended prematurely or changed forever.

“But if drivers think carefully about how they look, and make it part of their driving routine, it could make a real difference and save a life.”

For more information and tips on how to ‘Look Far, Look Near and Look Closer’, visit tfgm.com/look-closer.