Drivers are chucking litter and cigarette butts out of their windows as motorcyclists overtake their vehicles, according to new research.
One third (37%) of bikers reported the behaviour to road safety charity IAM RoadSmart, which surveyed 600 of its motorcycle members on their experiences over the past 12 months.
Motorcyclists told the charity some drivers are deliberately spraying windscreen wash when they are behind them, as well as cutting them up and preventing them from filtering through traffic. Filtering through slow moving traffic is legal if it is done safely and with due care and attention.
Eight in ten (80%) motorcyclists also reported seeing drivers being distracted by mobile phones, and 80% said drivers failed to look out for bikers when pulling out of junctions.
Other worrying behaviours include more than half of drivers failing to check mirrors as they overtake (54%), a third (28%) of people in parked cars opening their doors without checking for bikes (so-called car dooring), and more than 60% of drivers tailgating bikers.
Chris Palmer coaches motorcyclists to become an Advanced Rider with IAM RoadSmart.
Chris, who is a National Observer for IAM RoadSmart Devon Advanced Motorcyclists and rides a BMW R1250GS, said: “I’ve had litter thrown at me as well as cigarette butts, and I’ve been squirted with windscreen wash. Some drivers will do it without thinking and without realising that there’s a bike behind, but in other cases it’s pretty obvious that it’s intentional. Once, I was behind a group of four lads, keeping a safe distance. Then I noticed I was being squirted with windscreen wash, with the lads in the back looking back and laughing.
“They then decided to ramp it up a level and hurled a takeaway container out of the sunroof. Fortunately, it was empty so it just bounced off me. But if that was a heavy item, or if it happened to an inexperienced rider, it might have caused them to swerve and destabilise the bike, resulting in an accident. As well as being reckless, these incidents fuel road rage, which doesn’t help anyone. If this happens, my advice to bikers is to stay calm, don’t engage, keep a distance and overtake when it is safe to do so.”
According to the 2023 DfT’s road casualty data, one third (37%) of motorcycle fatalities were in two vehicle collisions between a motorcycle and a car, and the most common contributory factor allocated to motorcyclists involved in a fatal or serious collisions with another vehicle was ‘Driver or rider failed to look properly’ – accounting for one third (29%) of those killed or seriously injured.
More than 1,000 drivers were also polled, in turn reporting bad behaviour from bikers.
One in three (35%) drivers said they had encountered a biker approaching in their lane while overtaking a vehicle on the other side of the road, risking an oncoming collision. Another 35% said they had been tailgated by a motorcyclist, and 36 percent reported a close pass when being overtaken by a biker.
Nicholas Lyes, IAM RoadSmart policy and standards director, said: “Hurling litter and cigarette butts at motorcyclists is shocking and completely reckless. Taking umbrage just because bikers are able to get ahead is at best petty, and at worst downright dangerous.
“Equally motorcyclists should ride responsibly, but it’s important to keep in mind that bikers are some of the most vulnerable on the road and will almost always come off worse in the event of a collision.
“Deaths and serious injuries remain a real concern for motorcyclists, but a little courtesy and additional checks go a long way to improving the safety of some of the most vulnerable on the road.”
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