Approximately 5000 people die each year in motorcycle accidents. And another 88,000 sustain injuries. Motorcyclists are 29% more likely to die than a car passenger.
There are some very good reasons to avoid motorcycle accidents.
You don’t want to trash your bike. You don’t want to end up in the hospital. You don’t want the expense of motorcycle repairs.
But perhaps the most important one of all is that most accidents are avoidable if you follow safe riding best practices.
Let’s explore some of those now.
Tail End Accidents
Among common types of motorcycle accidents, tail end collisions settle at the top of the list. Motorcycles have many advantages to cars, but “padding” isn’t one of them. It’s just you, your bike and the road.
Perhaps you needed to avoid someone walking through the cross walk. Or, like all drivers, you didn’t see the new stop sign in your neighborhood until you were right up on it.
Either way, you stop abruptly, the person behind you is distracted or surprised — and boom. You fly off your bike, hearing it crunch under a truck behind you.
To avoid this motorcycle accident…
Safety Tip #1
Develop a safety habit of always stopping closer to the curb, rather than in the middle. If the person behind you has trouble stopping, they can swerve slightly to miss you.
Safety Tip #2
When you have time, tap the brake lever a few times before stopping to get the attention of the driver behind you.
Safety Tip #3
When possible, pull up next to a car in front of you at a stop instead of behind it. If the car behind you can’t stop, you won’t take the force of the impact.
Blind Corner Crashes
Maybe you know the feeling. You’re riding safely down the street. Then you take a corner and debris is on the road. There’s nothing you can do. You spin out and crash.
Safety Tip #4
Our tip’s no fun. But this most often happens when we take corners too fast. Regulate your speed and take corners cautiously. If you can’t see the road ahead, slow down.
Lane Change Motorcycle Accident
Compared to cars, motorcycles are tiny. They’re hard to see. They’re loud to compensate. But if someone has their music bumping or is focused on an audiobook, they may not hear you or not realize you’re right beside them.
Safety Tip #5
Be alert and aware of your surroundings on lane-change likely highways.
Be ready to get over if someone starts moving over on you. Anticipate the need for vehicles to change lanes quickly. Make note of drivers who are checking their mirrors.
If you see a lane slowing down in front of you, you may not want to be right next to a car at that moment. That car might try to change lanes quickly rather than slowing.
Stay Safe on the Road
As motorcyclists, we choose to take on more than our fair share of road safety by looking out for car drivers who don’t see us. We do it because we’re the ones who get hurt if we don’t.
By following these easy motorcycle safety tips, you can stay safer on the road.
What would you add to our list of tips? Comment below.
