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5 Ways to Stay Safe on Your Motorcycle

Riding a Motorcycle can be a very thrilling experience but never forget the dangers of riding as it could just save your life. To ride a motorcycle, both skill and judgement are key factors to staying safe. These factors are also part of the fun in riding as once perfected your rides will become much more enjoyable.

To help you stay safe on your motorcycle, we have come up with 5 things to be conscious of when riding:

Country Road Bends

These roads can be tricky even for a car to travel on but for a motorcycle the danger is more imminent. Most motorcyclists tend to practice their skills on town roads rather than country roads but if you do venture onto country lanes, be sure to use your skills in a different way as you would on a town road. The visibility on some country lanes is good so that you can easily judge bends as they come. However there are those country roads where the visibility is poor and bends can be tight. On these certain roads, there are clues as to what kind of bend you are heading into such as noticing how the lining of roadside trees or hedges copies the road layout. If you are ever unsure about a bend then slow down.

Junctions

You’ve seen the adverts… car drivers not being able to see motorcyclists when pulling out of a junction. Some road users can be impatient when pulling out of a junction which is what makes it dangerous for motorcyclists as these drivers may not ‘look, and look again’. Now before we start putting the blame on car drivers, there has been research done to demonstrate that it is genuinely more difficult to judge how fast motorcyclists are going than cars. Be conscious when approaching a junction and don’t assume cars can see you and will therefore give way.

Overtaking

Overtaking takes a lot of skill to judge speed against distance as when judged incorrectly overtaking could lead to a very serious road accident. To be able to judge the speed and distance, it is vital to know your motorcycle’s acceleration capability. If you’re using a new motorcycle I would advise against overtaking until you know the acceleration time and it’s performance.

Road Surface Conditions

Be careful to note the condition of the road you are on in order to adjust your speed and your riding. The reason for this is that bad road conditions can cause the loss of control of your motorcycle. Such conditions to watch out for include bad weather conditions, oil spills on the road, manhole covers and pot holes.

Clothing

You may think that motorcycle clothing is just something we do to look cool, when in fact specialised motorcycle clothing is designed to help keep injuries at a minimum in the event of an accident. The helmet is also there not to just stop fly’s splattering on your face but to prevent serious head injuries if ever you fall from your motorcycle.

Motorcycle riding should be practised before attempting adventurous manoeuvres or dangerous routes. No matter what level you are at, beginner or advanced, never forget the dangers of riding.

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About the Author

Michael Padway is a motorcycle accident attorney with over 40 years of experience in motorcycle cases. He’s been a lifelong motorcycle rider, and fanatic for its culture, advocacy, and safety. If you need assistance with a motorcycle accident, contact him at (800) 928-1511 or visit michaelpadway.com for a free consultation.