Dangerous Roads newsletter: Motorcycle's hard-to-spot risk to riders, and pedestrians

In an earlier newsletter, I wrote about how I’ve had to get out of the habit of using the term "car accident," because crashes don’t always involve accidents.

I got a stark reminder last week that they don’t always involve cars, either.

After seeing some buzz on a few Facebook groups about a serious motorcycle crash in my neighborhood on July 9, I passed along word to my Newsday colleagues, who learned from police that 87-year-old Plainview resident Harold Dickert died after he was struck by a 2023 Ducati motorcycle while crossing a street.

Nassau police are still investigating the crash, and have not arrested the motorcycle’s driver, who remained at the scene.

The tragedy reminded me of some remarks made at Newsday’s Dangerous Roads town hall in May by a motorcycle advocate who spoke about the unique dangers faced by bikers. Among them: Drivers and pedestrians not looking out for motorcycles. I witnessed this firsthand just a couple weeks ago when a driver changing lanes clipped a motorcyclist on Union Turnpike in Queens, knocking him off his bike — thankfully at a relatively slow speed.

"Unfortunately, we’re not taught to judge the speed and distance of motorcycles," Chris Beckhans, president of the Long Island chapter of American Bikers Aimed Towards Education (ABATE), told me in an interview Friday. "If you see a tractor trailer or car coming down the road, you might wait an extra second, because the threat is greater. On a motorcycle, people don’t realize you’re traveling just as fast, and things can happen."

As Beckhans noted, typically motorcyclists "are the ones who suffer from that misjudgment." Because motorcyclists don’t have many of the protections of a car or truck, deadly crashes are more likely — and they’ve been trending up in recent years.

The National Safety Council reported that motorcycle deaths reached the highest levels in at least two decades in 2020, and then exceeded that level in the three subsequent years. In 2023, the most recent year for which the NSC published data, 6,335 motorcyclists were killed in the U.S. — the most ever, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

Beckhans believes a rise in distracted driving has contributed to the troubling trend. His group pushes for increased awareness of motorcycle safety, and regularly gives presentations on the subject to drivers education classes in high schools throughout Long Island. "That's the ground floor," Beckhans said.

Like a lot of middle-aged dads, I’ve toyed with the notion of getting a Harley Davidson in recent years. And I have many friends who are responsible motorcycle owners and swear by their bikes as reliable, efficient, and, yes, fun modes of transportation. But, ultimately, I’m not sure I’m up for the added risk that comes with trading a seat belt for a helmet.

Readers speak up

This week’s email comes from a Huntington grandmother who fears not only for her safety behind the wheel, but that of the newest drivers in her family.

I cannot begin to tell you how relieved I am that Newsday has decided to take on this Dangerous Roads problem. I have been complaining to everyone about my drive from Huntington going east on Northern State Parkway into Veterans Highway for the last two years. It is very scary. Cars drive radically, switching in and out of lanes, no signals going 80 miles an hour and changing lanes after coming so close to the rear of your car. I am so worried about my family and my grandchildren who are new drivers. In the last three weeks, two of my friends were in serious car accidents with "totaled cars" resulting. One on the Verrazzano Bridge last week and one on 25A several weeks ago. It is only a miracle that they were not seriously hurt.

Carol O’Neil, Huntington

Do you also worry about the safety of young drivers in your life? Share your concerns with us at roads@newsday.com.

By Alfonso A. Castillo

alfonso.castillo@newsday.com@alfonsoreports

Alfonso Castillo has been reporting for Newsday since 1999 and covering the transportation beat since 2008. He grew up in the Bronx and Queens and now lives in Valley Stream with his wife and two sons.