Motorcycle Safety and Awareness - Before You Hit the Road

biker babe, bikerbabes, nudes, nudebabes, motorcycle nudes, naked, sexySturgis? Daytona? Laconia or just around the corner to your local Grocer your destination does not matter if you have not learned the basics of motorcycle safety.

We have all heard the stories or personally know riders that have years of riding experience and have made mistakes.  It can happen to anyone at anytime.  By educating yourself you greatly reduce your chances or at the very least improve your abilities to identify and get out of potentially dangerous situations.  Get educated about what your doing. Yes, experience can be the best teacher in the world but making a mistake on a motorcycle can be seriously dangerous to your health.

Rider safety courses are an excellent idea for any rider. I began riding at the age of ten and over the years I have logged thousands upon thousands of miles accident free. I consider myself a very aware and safe rider. Two weeks before leaving for a cross country road trip I was hit from behind while trying to leave my neighborhood. I did ALMOST everything I should have; checked left, checked right, used my indicator... I FAILED to continuously scan all approach areas and to know where my escape route was going to be. I concentrated on traffic in front of me and not on what was coming up behind me. Unfortunately the traffic behind me did not concentrate on what was in front of them. The bright side was it was the collision was minor, I ended up with just a stiff ankle and a few repairs to the bike. Damage to my motorcycle was about $1,400.00 which the other drivers insurance took care of. I just had to deal with the inconvenience factor of taking the bike back and forth to the shop for repairs 

This only emphasizes the point that when you are riding your motorcycle you have to be constantly evaluating your riding conditions; street surface, traffic patterns, bike reaction & feel, weather, side streets, road debris, wildlife and other potential hazards that may be lurking and be prepared to act/react with a plan. The motorcycle industry has developed an acronym to help you remember how you should be identifying and reacting to situations. The acronym is SIPDE or Scan, Identify, Predict, Decide, Execute.

• Scan
  
  You should constantly be aware of what's in front, to the sides and behind you. I personally scan constantly, first forward then through the mirrors and to each side and back again; scanning my tach & speed as I go. If you don't already scan or you're new to biking; take time to develop a pattern that includes your mirrors, your controls, and the area ahead of you. You should always be on the lookout for potential hazards and escape routes - even when you are stopped for a traffic signal/stop sign. When changing lanes be sure to check your mirrors early and often. When slowing to stop, check your mirrors to ensure that other motorists behind you are aware that you're stopping. One trick that I use to get the attention of motorist behind me is to tap my brake (either front or rear) in a 3-1-3 pattern. Maintain a 10-12 second lead. Meaning that you need looking at where you'll be 10-12 seconds from now.


• Identify
  
  Identify the situation ahead. Is there a hazard? Would you consider a side street a hazard? Probably not if you're in your car. Car's are "big"; meaning that their easily spotted by someone wanting access to the main road. Motorcycles are nearly invisible and you need to be aware of that when you ride. The same car on the side street will 99% of the time see the oncoming car, the percentage get's much lower with an oncoming motorcycle. Be ready, change lanes if you can, approach with cautious awareness that they may not see you. Are there multiple hazards ahead? Oncoming traffic, canyon road, side streets all pose their own risks scan and plan at all times. What are your escape routes? If you need to "ditch" or "lay it down" where? Options? What presents the least threat to you and your safety? Identify each situation by what represents a threat and what represents an opportunity or escape route. The motorcycle safety foundation recommends separating hazards into three separate and distinct categories.
  
  
  • 1. Other vehicles sharing the road.  
    
  • 2. Pedestrians and animals.  
    
  • 3. Stationary objects.
  
  

  With each category representing a different level of risk and each needs to be addressed by the rider differently.



• Predict
  
  Learn to anticipate what the hazard is going to do; if it's a deer nature says it's going to get startled. There's a 50/50 chance it will dart in front of you - what's your plan? Once you've formulated a plan (about 0.5sec to do, predict what might happen - I always use the worst case: Of course the deer will dart in front of me - now what? Formulate your escape route; this may be as simple as "I'm going to slow down" or as drastic as "he's crossing the road, I'm going off road." I personally feel that it's best to make my assumptions and plan based on the worse case scenario so that I'm ready for whatever happens.
  
  


• Decide
  
  Determine your course of action. Let your presence be known; using the 3-1-3 pattern is one way I make sure that I'm seen. Increase or decrease your speed speed, changing the lane your in or maybe even your direction all together. Combine any or use all three. Some riders put "whistlers" on their bikes, can't be heard by us but it is supposed to keep the deer and other wildlife out of the way. No matter what decision you make, be certain that you've account for your skill/experience level and road conditions.
  
  


• Execute
  
  Take action based on what you decided to do. If you can, separate the hazards so you're only dealing with one at a time. Continue scanning and adjust your actions based on the situation. Remember riding a motorcycle is fluid and things might change. Concentrate on the motorcycle and what you can control. Create a larger safety bubble around the motorcycle. Your safety bubble is the amount of space between you and other vehicles sharing the road with you. When following cars or trucks you should have a 4-5 second safety bubble. When in wet or adverse conditions increase this to 7-8 seconds.
  
  

  Remember to always be aware of your surroundings. Riding a motorcycle is more than just getting on and rolling down the road, road trips can and will wear you out. Take breaks, keep yourself mentally alert (you mind is key to riding safe).

  
  

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