Motorcycles look cool, feel good to ride, and can do things that other vehicles simply can’t. But if you want to get the most from your motorcycle, and protect your life and health while doing it, you need to take the safety aspect seriously.
The Dangers of Motorcycle Riding
Motorcycle accidents can be deadly and practically devastating. Every year, there are tens of thousands of motorcycle accidents and thousands of motorcycle fatalities. Your risk of an accident on a motorcycle is much higher than your risk of an accident in another vehicle, and if you’re involved in an accident, you’ll likely suffer much more damage on a motorcycle.
Even if you survive, your bike may be totaled, and you may suffer devastating injuries that take years of recovery. No matter what type of motorcycle you ride, how much experience you have, or how careful you are, riding a motorcycle is an inherently risky activity. This is in part because even if you ride perfectly, it’s possible to be involved in a collision because of someone else’s lapse in judgment.
The Main Issues
The main issues with motorcycles that make them so dangerous are:
- Lack of protection. In a conventional vehicle, you’ll be surrounded by a sturdy metal frame, and you’ll likely be protected by seatbelts, airbags, and other safety features. Although motorcycle designs have become safer over the years, riding a motorcycle means having very minimal protection by default.
- Low visibility. Motorcycles are sometimes hard to see. That’s partially because they’re so small, and partially because they don’t have as many visibility features as cars do. Fortunately, there are some ways to compensate for this.
- Speed and agility. It’s also worth noting how fast and agile motorcycles can be. Riders sometimes try to take advantage of this, and quite understandably, but in bad weather and other problematic situations, the high speeds and high maneuverability can actually work against you.
How to Be Safe on a Motorcycle
These are the best strategies for remaining safe on a motorcycle:
- Wear a helmet and other protective gear. No matter what, you need to wear a helmet and other protective gear while riding a motorcycle. Helmets are proving to significantly reduce the risk of fatality, and other protective gear can spare you from gruesome and painful injuries. No single piece of protective gear can guarantee that you’re going to survive a motorcycle accident, but if you wear full gear regularly, your risk of dying or being seriously injured will plunge.
- Stay visible at all times. You need to compensate for your lack of visibility. That could include wearing a highly visible piece of gear, staying at the edge of lanes so other cars can see you, and even making noise so that other drivers can hear you even when they can’t see you.
- Obey the law. This should go without saying, but unfortunately it needs to be said. You need to respect and obey the law, as most traffic laws and regulations are specifically designed to keep you and others safe. Stay under the speed limit, obey posted signage, and follow all the rules of the road.
- Inspect your bike regularly. Before each ride, you should spend some time inspecting your bike. You don’t need to spend a ton of time or energy doing this, but you should be on the lookout for any signs that your bike isn’t safe to ride. A single mechanical failure could lead to a horrific accident.
- Get training and/or practice. Experienced motorcycle riders bear far lower risks than their inexperienced counterparts. Accordingly, you should consider undergoing motorcycle training, or at least get some practice before you hit the road.
- Stay sharp. To remain safe, you need to be present, attentive, and ready to react at any moment. That means you should absolutely never drive while intoxicated, and you shouldn’t even drive while tired. Use another mode of transportation if you have to.
- Avoid inclement conditions. Finally, consider avoiding inclement conditions entirely. If the weather is especially bad, or if you expect a lot of intoxicated drivers at this time of night, it might be better to take a different form of transportation (or stay home until the conditions are better).
Remember, even if you’re a perfect motorcyclist with a perfect record, you’re still going to be vulnerable to the actions of other people on the road. If you’re ever involved in a motorcycle accident, get to safety as soon as possible, get the medical attention you require, and talk to a lawyer to explore your legal options.
As long as the accident wasn’t your fault, all the damages you sustain, including medical bills, property damage, and more, should be compensable.
