Two-thirds of riders report ‘smidsy’ incidents

More than two thirds of motorcyclists have had a near miss in the last six months resulting from another road user failing to look.  

Sixty-nine percent of motorcyclists said they had experienced at least once ‘smidsy’ accident, so called because of offending drivers’ tendency to say: “Sorry mate, I didn’t see you.”

Of those, 86% had to take evasive action to avoid an accident, according to the poll by the Institute of Advanced Motorists.

Seventy-three percent of riders said driver inattention was a main factor in such incidents and 43% said they had experienced two near misses.

Failure to look is a contributory factor in 29% of serious collisions and 36% of slight accidents according to IAM research.

IAM chief executive Simon Best said: “Smidsy moments are happening far too often, and very few people are prepared to take responsibility for their part in them. It’s always someone else’s fault. All road users need to be more aware of who they are sharing the road with, and the risks they present.

“Other road users’ intentions can often be guessed by their body language and position on the road, so ride defensively, and leave room so that if somebody does do something unexpected, you have time to deal with it.”