In too many accidents on the road, drivers say they simply didn’t see the danger — even though it can sometimes be right in front of them.
This was the case late Wednesday, when the driver of a sport utility vehicle was turning left from South Main Street onto Comfort Drive in South Jacksonville, unaware he had pulled into the path of an oncoming motorcyclist.
Two people died in the crash, 19-year-old Leonardo Alfano and 17-year-old Morgan McKinnon.
This fatal accident is a reminder that even a driver who is aware of the surroundings and free of distraction can still be a hazard to motorcyclists, who sometimes feel “invisible” to other vehicles.
Dave Acker, Tri-State ABATE safety and education officer, said drivers not seeing motorcycles is one of the most common things heard after such accidents.
“It’s perception,” Acker said. “The best example I can give you, is when I started riding motorcycles on the road, 40 years ago, my mother told me, ‘you know, I never noticed all these motorcycles on the road,’ and it wasn’t because they were more, but that she started noticing them.
