Survey finds drivers still miss motorcycles and riders still get blamed

Bisnar Chase Personal Injury Attorneys released a 2026 survey of 4,322 drivers and riders showing a wide gap between what motorists say about sharing the road and how they act around motorcycles. The findings point to visibility problems, blind-spot risk and bias that can shape crash blame, insurance claims and jury perceptions.

Why it matters: - The survey suggests motorcyclists face two risks at once: being overlooked in traffic and being judged unfairly after a crash. - Those perceptions can affect real-world safety, fault determinations, insurance disputes and injury recovery.

What happened: - Bisnar Chase Personal Injury Attorneys released its 2026 Motorcycle Safety Survey, “The Invisible Rider,” on July 8, 2026. - Cherry Data Signals conducted the independent survey. - The research included 4,022 licensed car drivers and 300 active motorcyclists. - The survey examined how car drivers perceive, see and interact with motorcyclists on U.S. roads.

The details: - 63% of drivers said motorcycles are harder to see than cars. - 41% of drivers said they have changed lanes and only noticed a motorcycle at the last second. - 46% said they have been surprised by a motorcycle in their blind spot at least sometimes. - 28% said they open a car door without checking for riders at least sometimes. - 20% said they follow motorcycles more closely than they would a car, at least sometimes. - 73% of drivers said motorcyclists are at least sometimes more reckless than car drivers. - 87% of drivers said motorcyclists have the same right to the road as cars. - Only 29% said most drivers actually treat riders as equals. - More than 90% of riders reported near-misses with larger vehicles. - 47% of riders said others assumed they were at fault simply because they were on a motorcycle. - 72% said motorcyclists are more likely to be blamed after a crash than car drivers would be in the same situation. - 52% of drivers said juries view motorcyclists as risk-takers. - 45% acknowledged that riders are at least sometimes unfairly blamed. - The full white paper includes detailed breakdowns by scenario and post-crash advice for riders and is available here.

Between the lines: - The survey points to a credibility gap between stated beliefs and driving behavior. - Drivers may support riders in principle while still acting in ways that raise crash risk. - The results also suggest bias can persist after a collision, when fault is being assigned and injuries are being evaluated. - Brian Chase, partner at Bisnar Chase Personal Injury Attorneys, said the findings match patterns the firm sees in cases every week. - Chase said drivers often claim they never saw the motorcycle, and he argued that failing to notice a rider that was visible is negligence. - Chase also said riders deserve to be seen clearly by insurers and juries when a driver causes serious injury.

What's next: - The survey findings are likely to be used to support rider-safety messaging and post-crash guidance. - Bisnar Chase said it has represented injured motorcyclists throughout California for more than 46 years. - The firm said it has recovered more than $1 billion for injury victims and maintains a 99% success rate. - Bisnar Chase said it handles motorcycle accident cases on a contingency fee basis.

The bottom line: - Motorcyclists are not just fighting visibility on the road. The survey suggests they are also fighting bias after the crash.