Why Drivers Are Told to Look Twice to Save a Life

May is Motorcycle Awareness Month, and Look Twice - Save A Life is the message driving the entire motorcycle safety campaign. The slogan asks drivers to do one small thing before they turn, merge, or pull out: glance once, then look again. That second look is what keeps a motorcycle rider alive.

Most fatal motorcycle accidents in New York happen because a driver never saw the rider at all. The driver looked, registered "no car," and moved. The bike was there the whole time. That split-second failure is the leading cause of motorcycle accidents at intersections across Buffalo and Erie County.

This post explains where the Look Twice, Save a Life message came from, why it works, how it applies to Buffalo streets during Motorcycle Awareness Month, safety tips riders can use, and what New York riders should do when drivers fail to Check Twice.

Where Did the Look Twice, Save a Life Campaign Start?

The Look Twice - Save A Life message grew out of motorcycle safety advocacy in the 1970s and 1980s. Riders kept getting hit at intersections by drivers who swore they never saw the bike. Safety groups needed a simple phrase that got drivers to Check Twice before moving. "Look Twice, Save a Life" was short, clear, and stuck in people's heads.

Today the phrase shows up on bumper stickers, highway billboards, and state motorcycle safety campaigns nationwide. The New York State Department of Motor Vehicles uses it. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration builds Motorcycle Awareness Month messaging around the same idea. The New York Motorcycle Safety Program promotes it every May as the centerpiece of its motorcycle safety campaign.

The reason it has lasted so long is simple. It works. A driver who takes a moment to Check Twice at an intersection catches the motorcycle they would have missed the first time.

Why Do Drivers Miss Motorcycles So Often?

Human eyes and brains are trained to look for car-sized shapes. When a driver scans an intersection, the brain filters out small objects as background. A motorcycle is small enough to slip right past that filter.

Researchers call this "inattentional blindness." The driver's eyes pass over the bike, but the brain doesn't register it as a vehicle. The driver honestly believes the road was clear. Two seconds later, a rider is on the pavement. This is why so many traffic crashes involving motorcycles come down to one missed glance.

Blind spots make the problem worse. A motorcycle fits completely inside the blind spot of most passenger cars and almost every pickup truck or SUV. A quick glance in the mirror won't catch a bike tucked next to the rear quarter panel. The driver has to turn their head and Check Twice. This matters even more in Buffalo during May, when drivers haven't been looking for bikes all winter and motorcycles suddenly reappear on every road.

Distracted driving has turned a bad problem into a deadly one. A driver checking a text message for two seconds at 45 mph covers the length of a football field. A motorcycle that was clearly visible at the start of that text is gone by the time the driver looks up. Distracted driving now ranks among the top causes of motorcycle accidents in New York.

What Does Looking Twice Actually Mean Behind the Wheel?

Looking twice is not a slogan. It's a specific driving habit that takes about two extra seconds at each decision point. Here is what it looks like in practice.

• Scan, then scan again before turning left: The first scan catches cars. The second scan, one or two seconds later, catches motorcycles that were hidden behind other traffic, sun glare, or your own A-pillar.
• Turn your head before changing lanes: Mirrors miss motorcycles. A full shoulder check is the only reliable way to spot a bike riding in your blind spot.
• Look past the vehicle in front of you: Tailgating blocks your view of oncoming motorcycles. Back off, keep safe following distance, and scan the full intersection before committing to a turn.
• Watch for turn signals from motorcycles: Riders use turn signals to communicate, but many drivers don't register them the way they do car signals. Treat every motorcycle turn signal as a serious heads-up.
• Check cross traffic twice at stop signs: Riders often get hit at residential stop signs because drivers glance once, see nothing large, and roll through. A second look catches the bike coming down the side street.
• Pause before pulling out of a driveway or parking lot: Main Street and Delaware Avenue see heavy motorcycle traffic in the spring and summer. A two-second pause and a second glance can prevent a side-impact crash.

These are small habits. They take almost no time. They save lives.

Where Do Most Motorcycle Crashes Happen in Buffalo?

Erie County has specific intersections and corridors where Look Twice, Save a Life matters most. Motorcycle traffic concentrates on certain roads, and traffic crashes follow those patterns.

Main Street runs from downtown Buffalo out through Amherst and Williamsville and sees heavy motorcycle traffic heading toward Transit Road and the Northtowns. The stretch between UB South Campus and Transit Road has multiple high-volume intersections where left-turn motorcycle accidents are common. Drivers turning from Main onto side streets often fail to spot oncoming bikes.

Transit Road is another hot spot. The intersections with Main Street, Sheridan Drive, and Maple Road see regular crashes involving riders. Heavy commuter traffic mixes with weekend riders heading to East Aurora or Clarence, and drivers rushing to make turns miss motorcycles in the process.

Delaware Avenue has the same pattern. Drivers turning left into neighborhoods and businesses miss motorcycles coming the other way, particularly between Hertel Avenue and Kenmore Avenue. Niagara Falls Boulevard north into Amherst and Tonawanda carries faster-moving traffic, and left-turn crashes there tend to be more severe because of the higher speeds involved.

Niagara Street, Abbott Road, and South Park Avenue all see regular left-turn and lane-change crashes involving riders. The 33, the 190, and the 290 create merge conflicts at on-ramps and off-ramps where drivers cut across traffic without checking for motorcycles.

What Does New York Law Say About Drivers Who Fail to See Motorcycles?

New York law holds drivers responsible for crashes caused by their failure to look. A driver who turns left in front of an oncoming motorcycle is almost always at fault under New York Vehicle and Traffic Law, even if they swear they never saw the bike. The law requires drivers to yield to oncoming traffic, and "I didn't see them" is not a legal defense.

New York is a pure comparative fault state. That means your recovery is reduced by your share of the blame, but even a rider found 90% at fault can still recover 10% of damages. This is more rider-friendly than what most states use. Still, insurance companies push hard to shift blame onto riders. They argue the rider was speeding, lane splitting, or riding unsafely.

It's also worth knowing that New York's No-Fault insurance law does not cover motorcycle riders. That means injured riders can sue for pain and suffering and other damages in any injury case, without needing to meet the serious injury threshold that applies to car accident victims.

Evidence defeats insurance tactics. A police report, witness statements, photos of the scene, and traffic camera footage all help prove the driver failed to Check Twice. Buffalo has traffic cameras and private security cameras on many major corridors, which can be powerful evidence when secured quickly. Crash reconstruction can show exactly how the collision happened and where the driver's sight lines should have included the motorcycle.

How Can Riders Protect Themselves When Drivers Don't Look?

Riders can't force drivers to Look Twice, Save a Life. What they can do is ride in ways that make it harder for drivers to miss them and easier to react when drivers make mistakes.

• Ride in the most visible part of the lane: The left third of the lane gives you the best sight lines at intersections and makes your bike visible to oncoming drivers. Move around in your lane to break up the visual pattern drivers' eyes filter out.
• Wear high-visibility gear: Bright jackets, reflective vests, and reflective tape on your helmet and saddlebags make you stand out. Dark gear against gray Buffalo skies is a leading factor in drivers missing motorcycles.
• Use your headlight and turn signals early: A motorcycle headlight that stands out from background traffic catches drivers' attention. Use your turn signals well in advance so drivers have time to process what you're about to do.
• Cover your brakes at intersections: Keeping two fingers on the front brake lever shaves off reaction time if a driver turns across your path. Those extra milliseconds can be the difference between a near-miss and a crash.
• Assume drivers don't see you: Ride as if every driver at every intersection is about to pull out in front of you. That mindset keeps your speed, spacing, and escape routes ready.
• Watch spring road conditions: Buffalo winters tear up roads. Potholes, frost heaves, and leftover salt and gravel create extra hazards for riders in May. Scan the pavement as carefully as you scan for drivers.

None of these steps excuse a driver who fails to look. They give riders a fighting chance when drivers do.

What Should You Do After a Motorcycle Crash Caused by a Driver Who Didn't Look?

The first step is medical care. Even if you feel fine, injuries from motorcycle crashes often appear hours or days later. Head injuries, internal bleeding, and soft tissue damage don't always show up at the scene. Get checked at a hospital.

Call the police and get an official crash report. The report documents what the driver said at the scene, including any admission that they didn't see you. Those statements carry weight later with insurance adjusters and juries.

Photograph everything if you are able. Take pictures of both vehicles, the intersection, skid marks, traffic signals, and your injuries. Get the names and phone numbers of any witnesses. Witnesses are often the strongest evidence in a failure-to-look case because they saw what the driver claims they didn't. Buffalo businesses along major corridors often have security cameras pointing at the street. Securing that footage quickly matters because many systems overwrite every few days.

Do not give a recorded statement to the other driver's insurance company before speaking with a motorcycle accident lawyer. Adjusters ask questions designed to make riders admit partial fault. A simple "I was coming down Main Street" can be twisted into a claim that you were speeding.

New York gives you three years from the date of the crash to file a personal injury lawsuit. For claims involving a government entity like the City of Buffalo, Erie County, or the NFTA, you must file a Notice of Claim within 90 days. Our personal injury lawyers in Buffalo recommend getting legal help well before any deadline closes.

How Can a Buffalo Motorcycle Accident Lawyer Help Your Case?

Motorcycle crash cases are fought differently than car cases. Juries often carry unfair assumptions about riders, and insurance companies know it. They use those assumptions to cut settlement offers and shift blame onto the rider.

A personal injury lawyer in Buffalo who handles motorcycle crashes knows what tactics to expect and how to counter them. That means working with crash reconstruction professionals, tracking down traffic camera and business surveillance footage before it's overwritten, and interviewing witnesses before memories fade.

It also means knowing which local intersections have a history of left-turn and failure-to-look crashes and using that pattern evidence to strengthen the case. Our personal injury lawyers in Buffalo fight to make sure the driver who failed to look is the one held responsible, not the rider who had no chance to avoid the crash.

Take Action This Motorcycle Awareness Month

May is Motorcycle Awareness Month, but the risk doesn't end when the month does. If a driver failed to Look Twice, Save a Life and hit you on Main Street, Transit Road, Delaware Avenue, or anywhere in Erie County, call RK&L today. Our personal injury lawyers in Buffalo will review your case for free and fight for the recovery you deserve.

Sources:

• https://www.nhtsa.gov/press-releases/motorcycle-safety-awareness-month-motorcyclist-fatality-rate
• https://dmv.ny.gov/motorcycles
• https://www.ny.gov/programs/motorcycle-safety-program
• https://www.trafficsafetymarketing.gov/get-materials/motorcycle-safety/motorist-awareness-motorcycles