One important motorcycle safety technique taught by riding instructors is the "life-saver." Every time the motorcyclist makes a turn or switches lane, he should first check mirrors and then glance over his shoulder before committing.
When turning right, this ensures that nobody is cutting in between the rider and the road edge; when changing lanes, this brief reality check avoids the necessity of swerving in if another driver is now passing.
If the motorcyclist cannot see the driver in his wing mirror, the driver cannot see the motorcycle. When in this space, it is a good idea to accelerate out of the danger zone, or blind spot.
Motorcycle Safety Tips for Lane-Splitting
In some countries and states, lane-splitting is illegal. In others, it can be a useful, advanced trick for getting past traffic quickly. Razor-sharp awareness is fundamental to safety while lane-splitting; the motorcyclist must never lane-split while tired or unwell. (For that matter, he should if possible avoid riding at all while fatigued.)
The rider should also never lane-split at more than 20-25 mph, and never more than five miles per hour faster than the flow of traffic. If lane-splitting to the head of a line, it is important to always take a split-second to check that someone turning across the rider's path has not jumped the red. The motorcyclist can still out-accelerate almost anything else so the brief wait is unlikely to increase his danger.
A Safe Motorcyclist Leaves Her Ego at Home
It may be amusing to out-accelerate everybody on the road, but from time to time the motorcyclist will encounter a driver who sees her as a challenge. If such a driver decides to "win" in a race at the light, it makes sense to let her. The driver has something to prove; the motorcyclist has already done something that is much harder than driving a car and does not need to prove anything.
Similarly, when a driver cuts up the motorcyclist, it makes little sense to honk, wave fists, or otherwise do anything other than concentrate on avoiding further mishaps. The rider should let the incident go and not make himself vulnerable to road rage.
Anticipation is a Powerful Tool in Motorcycle Safety
The best defense against accidents is space. Where possible, the motorcyclist should move into the emptiest lane and always maintain a 3-second buffer around him. She should also give anybody talking on a cellphone a wide berth. Fortunately, more and more locations are making cellphone use while driving illegal.
When somebody is driving erratically, it is usually safer to be behind her. There are no guarantees that she will see the rider in time to stop.
Many accidents can be avoided when a careful, observant rider pays attention, thinks for himself and for everybody else on the road, and rides defensively. The assumption that everybody else is driving around in a dream-world will stand him in good stead. For everything else, motorcycle safety is a matter of being swift, observant and careful.
Readers may also be interested in Understanding Motorcyclists and Sharing the Road With Motorcyclists.
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