We’re still on the Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month kick—and our last few articles have been packed full of statistics regarding crashes. How they happen, when they happen, whose fault it is when they do, and so forth. And with all the talk of crashes and statistics... we’ve all heard the adage of “it’s not if, it’s when you’ll get into a wreck.”
We politely disagree.
While accidents happen at no fault to riders pretty regularly—that doesn’t mean that we’re destined for doom just because we’re on two wheels. Especially if we’re taking proper steps to make sure that we’re riding safely, within our ability, and doing what we can to make sure that other drivers are aware of our presence. And if they’re not, doing what we can to stay as far away from them as possible to avoid getting into that wreck anyhow.
While this isn’t a definitive list—we’d like to go over some habits and practices that can help decrease our chances of getting into an accident when we’re out riding.
Maintain a Safe Distance
When we’re out on rides, ready to hit twisties and have a little fun: it’s easy to get caught up in the anticipation of exhilaration and trail a little close to that minivan in front of us that’s going a few under the speed limit.
Don’t do that.
It’s important to give cars ahead of us ample distance because if they come to an emergency stop for whatever reason—we won’t have to. Which gives vehicles behind us the same opportunity to come to a safe, controlled stop that doesn’t involve smashing into our tail ends.
Practice Emergency Braking
There’s a huge difference between stopping because a yellow popped up a little faster than you had anticipated and grabbing the front brake because a car pulled out in front of you.
Practicing emergency braking on a regular basis can help build the muscle memory and coordination you need to stay upright while coming to a complete stop—safely—as fast as necessary to avoid getting into a wreck.
Even folks that have been riding for years and years don’t put in the time to practice emergency braking skills, but it’s absolutely essential to practice these kinds of skills until they’re second nature.
Perform Regular Maintenance and Visual Inspections
Avoidable mechanical failure is another factor that is absolutely in our control as riders. Making sure tires are in suitable condition, maintaining proper chain tension, ensuring our brakes are in working order, among a variety of other factors can reduce the risk of failure on the road and help keep us upright.
Scan Ahead
We’re all taught this as we learn to ride but it’s an incredibly important skill to maintain. By proactively scanning ahead and looking for hazards, we can offer ourselves increased time to react to issues.
As we continue to implement this skill and it becomes second nature, practice scanning ahead as much as you can even through the tightest turns. A rock, pile of leaves, or a tar snake can make the difference between a good and a bad day—and you’re at an incredible advantage if you’re aware that an obstacle is in your path.
Make Sure You Stay Seen
Once again, this is the part where we come in. A huge part of defensive riding is making sure that other vehicles are aware of our presence on the road. High-visibility gear is an option—and while it’s a good one, it doesn’t solve the issue that we are working hard to help mitigate. It doesn’t indicate reduction in speed.
With Brake Free’s placement akin to a center high-mounted brake light on a car, other drivers are accustomed to looking for an illuminating brake light at eye level to indicate that a vehicle in front of them is reducing speed.
Like we outlined in last week’s blog, approximately 1 in 10 accidents involving a motorcycle and an additional vehicle happen when a bike is rear-ended. An NHTSA study indicated that a center high-mounted brake light reduced rear-impact accidents by a massive 35%.
Let’s keep that number climbing even higher. Stay seen on the road and order your Brake Free. You won’t even notice it’s on your helmet.
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