Important Tips to Keep You Safe on the Road

You can’t control what the drivers around you do. But safety-conscious motorcyclists can still do a lot to control their own safety on roads and highways. The most obvious measure is to wear protective gear, especially a helmet, every time you ride -- no matter how short the trip is. Helmets are required for at least some riders in 46 of our 50 states; California and Nevada require properly fitting, Department of Transportation-approved helmets for every rider and passenger of every age. But even in states where helmets aren’t required, they’re still proven by decades of research to reduce your chances of death or serious brain damage in the event of an accident.

Protective gear goes beyond helmets. Many states also require a face shield or goggles for riders whose helmets don’t include a shield; this requirement is backed up by the Hurt Report, the comprehensive study of motorcycle accidents, which noted that 73 percent of riders involved in accidents used no eyewear. The report suggested that the force of the wind in these riders’ eyes may have impaired their vision and thus their ability to see and avoid road hazards. The report also suggested that brightly colored jackets offered protection simply by being visible; it noted that visibility is a major factor in motorcycle accidents and riders who wear bright, reflective clothing significantly reduced their involvement in accidents.

Tough leather or synthetic gear doesn’t just look cool -- it can help protect your skin and your bones in an accident. Cuts and scrapes are the most common, though minor, injury in a motorbike accident; the Hurt Report noted that leather gear reduced or eliminated those injuries in an accident. Genuine motorcycle boots have non-slip soles, which helps you to avoid slipping in oil or water on the road and maintain control of your bike. And many motorcycle jackets and pants come with reinforced armor in vulnerable areas like the spine, shoulders and hips, which helps to prevent broken bones and spinal injuries.

Before you even get on the road, you can also increase your chances of a safe trip by checking your bike for mechanical problems. The Motorcycle Safety Foundation gives this pre-ride checklist the name T-CLOCS, an acronym that stands for the areas on your bike you should check:

Tires and wheels, including broken spokes and wheels out of true as well as balding or punctured tires.
Controls, including the handlebar levers and foot pedals, cables, hoses, and the throttle.
Lights, a category that includes the battery as well as the headlights, brake lights, turn signals and their wiring as well as mirrors and reflectors.
Oil levels and levels of other liquids, like brake fluid and coolant. Also check these for leaks.
Chassis, meaning the condition of the frame, suspension, the chain and their fasteners.
Stands, both the center stand and the side stand.

Once you’re off, you can practice defensive riding in a number of ways. The MSF suggests first that riders, especially less experienced riders, know their abilities. That means slowing down if you need to, leaving enough following distance, taking your time in turns and avoiding certain riding situations altogether until you feel comfortable in them. Although lane sharing is legal in California (but no other state), the MSF suggests that riders avoid it, since it gives them less space to avoid hazards and less visibility to drivers. It suggests that riders take a center lane position in heavy traffic, to discourage drivers from squeezing into their lane. It also specifically advises riders to watch out for:

Cars and light trucks’ blind spots, which you should pass as quickly as possible or allow to pass.
Wind blasts from passing vehicles.
Side mirrors.
Opening doors of parked cars.
Objects thrown from car windows.
Entrance ramps, where a motorcycle’s size makes it harder for merging vehicles to see. Let them pass.

The MSF also teaches riders to SEE, another acronym, which stands for Search, Evaluate and Execute. This common-sense procedure essentially means that you should look for hazards before they can affect you, and seek out escape routes to use if necessary:

Search ahead for potential problems, which could include traffic set to turn in front of you, traffic approaching you, or hazardous road conditions.
Evaluate these hazards and what you can do about them.
Execute maneuvers to avoid them, which could include slowing down, speeding up, honking or flashing lights, changing lane positions, making a turn or just covering your brakes and clutch.

Finally, like all motorists, riders should use good judgment about when they are too impaired to ride safely. Most importantly, riders should never ride under the influence of alcohol. Alcohol is a factor in almost half of all motorcycle accidents, according to the Hurt Report, and the MSF says 40 to 45 percent of riders killed in crashes had been drinking -- but only a third had blood-alcohol concentrations above the legal limit. Another common cause of impairment is fatigue. Not only is fatigue one of the most common distractions in America for drivers and riders, contributing to 22 percent of accidents in one study, but riders fatigue faster than drivers, thanks to the barrage of wind and weather and the weight of a motorbike. If you’re too tired to ride your bike safely, take a break or find someone who can give you a lift.

Irresponsible, unsafe riders generate most of the statistics about motorcycles being unsafe -- and sustain most of the serious injuries and fatalities in motorcycle accidents. You don’t have to be a statistic if you follow common-sense motorcycle safety rules. And if you’ve been in an accident caused by someone else’s negligence anyway, you don’t have to suffer in silence. The motorcycle accident attorneys at Bisnar | Chase have recovered tens of millions for wronged motorcycle accident and personal injury clients. They can help you pay your medical bills, fix or replace your bike, get compensated for your injuries and get on with your life. For a free evaluation of your case, call us today at 1-866-889-2775 or click here to fill out our confidential online consultation form.