What do you do, as a motorcycle rider, do to keep out of accidents?

Question

add to this list; practice hard braking------Put yourself in a position to be seen------look as far ahead as you can for danger-----be aware that counter-steering is the way you are turning ------try never to panic.

THERE IS GOOD ANSWERS TO THIS QUESTION1

PONTS MADE-see whole picture-don't drink +DRIVE-Use mirrors-Have an out-Act asif you are invisible(Blind spots)-Expect the unexpected-Keep front brake covered-bright protective clothing-Be focused,don't daydream-Turning,creeping vehicles,watch front tires for rotation-Headlights-Keep bike in correct gear while stopping so you can accelerate if you need to-To see better around corners stay on outside for left hand turns and near center lane for rights-Don't be cocky, stay i little scared-And as Dirty Harry says, Mans got to know his limitations. This list could go on forever Thanks for your input!

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Answer 1

try to get into the habit of keeping your front brake covered with at least 2 fingers. don't ride in the middle of a lane where motor oil and other nasty things like the collect. when at a stop, keep your eye on your mirrors to watch approaching vehicles behind you to make sure they don't rear-end you. at intersections, watch for vehicles creeping up to turn in front of you. on the freeway, while passing another vehicle, look in their mirrors to see if they're looking to change lanes into you. and believe it or not, a lot of sticky situations can be corrected with a little more gas input, rather than braking. but that'll be something for you to find out.

have fun, good luck, and if you haven't already, check out your local MSF courses. they'll teach you a lot of good things to help survive on the road as a 2 wheel enthusiast. :)

Answer 2

The best advice I can give you is: stay as far away as you can from the car in front of you, but not too far so that it is tempting for other drivers to merge into that space; and never do anything too fast, so always take it easy when turning. Also make sure people see you, and know you are there. The last thing is sort of a personal opinion, but I know for me, I never go out for a ride if I know it is going to rain. Most people think if you're caught in the first 5 minutes of light rain, and get home before the downpour you're safer; but the truth is that it's the same thing, because in the first 20 minutes of rain, all of the oil that has leaked from cars, or that has come from the exhaust onto the road is now turning into slippery liquid, and is spreading all over the road. After 20 minutes it is all cleaned off into the sewers, but now it's pouring hard and it is still slippery and hard to see. Hope this helped.

Answer 3

I am always aware of where the other cars are and always thinking of where I will go if one of them does something stupid. A good example of this was when I was riding to work one day. I was on a 4 lane divided highway when a dump truck stopped suddenly in my lane 2 cars in front of me. As I was braking I heard tires squealing from behind so rather than be the meat in a car sandwich I decided to ride the line in the center of the two lanes. I had a car on one side and the stopping cars on the other side but it was that or hit the dirt doing 55. The car beside me was nice enough to move over a little more and I although I had the room, that extra room was nice. Like I said, always be aware of what may happen and always be thinking of where your "out" is.

Answer 4

I've been riding motorized 2 wheelers since 1979. That includes a moped and 3 motorcycles.

Early on, the accidents were all my faults. Later on they were all other drivers faults. In the end you will learn from experience (like slowing down). But you have to know that traffic LAW is only a guide line for many drivers. OTHER drivers WILL break them and hit you.

Ex: You have the right of way coming to an intersection. That doesn't mean that other driver WILL stop. Slow down and get ready to stop just in case. In a car you will easily survive these days. In a motorcycle, just a panic stop can wipe you out. And if the other car didn't touch you yet, it'll be hard to get him / her to pay.

As the above poster said, expect the unexpected. But that's not as hard to do as it sounds. Just expect other drivers to break the law and you get pretty much the idea.

It helps to ride together and heighten other driver awareness. Get some bright headlights (under the law). I ride with high beams ON during the daylight (it isn't bad because you can't blind the other drivers during daylight). I always felt that tail light on the motorcycle are just too small.

One last thing: I rode in NYC all my life. I also rode in Maui (Hawii) for one year. I found people in small town (Maui) to be much more aggressive. Recently a news report said that people in the EAST coast are the worst drivers. I agree. So you may want to consider moving to more "2 wheeling" friendly city.

Good Luck and ride safe.
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Answer 5

You have a lot of answers this will be short ans sweet and helpful. Think outside the box.. Remember your bike can go places easier then cars can i.e. you can ride a sidewalk to avoid a accident if need be. WATCH FOR PEOPLE TURNING LEFT. People who are turning left are the number 1 reason for motorcycle deaths in the USA. Stay far ahead or behind most traffic. Tap your brakes at a stop light to get people attention. Ride defensively but not scared.

Answer 6

First thing I do is maintain my bike to a very high standard. This helps prevents any accident caused by mechanical failure, bits falling off, brake failure, suspension problems and poor tyres loosing grip or puncturing.
You will be seen and heard if your lights and horn work efficiently and your lamp lenses are clean and intact.
Having done all I can to prevent being dumped by a faulty bike, I then make sure other road users can see me . All my bike clothing has some kind of reflective or hi viz panels and I have fitted hi viz reflectors at strategic points on the bike in addition to the stock reflectors. (See and be seen!)
Another factor which can comes in to play ( Depends where you live!) is the weather. If you live in a country with similar (crap!) weather conditions to Scotland, you would be chancing fate going for a Sunday ride on a sunny February morning! The roads will have frost in the shade and even thin ice from the night before and probably won't clear until well after lunch! (if at all) Asking to get dumped. Just consider weather conditions before going for a pleasure ride. ( I once saw a Courier on the M1 in a snow storm.. brave lad!)
Lastly, I assume that I will fall on my a*ss at some point ( I have before and I will again no doubt!) so I wear top notch protective gear and a good quality helmet!
That about covers how to prevent a hell of a lot of "accidents" (is it still an accident if it is predictable and preventable?), as for the rest, everyone knows what they have to do on the road to keep safe, no point on me wibbling on and telling all you bikers how to ride, you will do it your own way anyway!
Just give yourself a fighting chance and keep your bike in good nick.

Answer 7

Wyomingrider gave the answer I was going to give.
Make believe you're invisible - drivers claim they can't see motorcycles.
Now you have the advantage, so what are you going to do about it?
It's called defensive driving.

Always leave yourself a way out - have the mindset that there is a pending accident about to happen. If your exit to avoidance is blocked, you have another option to avoid it.
Along those lines, expect the unexpected.

See the big picture - don't just watch the car & tail lights in front of you.
Look at the car in front of them and what they're about to do.
Look at the pack of cars in front.
What the first one does, the rest will, at a later time (domino effect).
If the first one has an accident, each car behind 'em will smash into the person they're following, to close to at a high rate of speed.
That's why you shouldn't tail gate.
Always ride 2 seconds behind the vehicle in front of you, or 1 car length for every 10mph (2 second thing, pick a spot on the road and count - stripe, crack, pot hole).

Don't forget to scan the side of the road, side walks, driveways - someone is going to speed out in front of you.
If you see them before they move, plan your escape route or braking procedure.

Try not to drive next to other vehicles - without paying attention, they can just swerve into you without warning.
Don't ride in someones blind spot (same thing).
If you have to - leave yourself a way out.

Same safety rules apply to automobile drivers.

Answer 8

watch the tires of the cages at stop signs. u'll notice movement alot quicker than lookin at the blind driver.

treat all twisty road's u've never been on before with alot of respect...its what u dont know that will kill u. a prime example of this is the cherohala skyway in nc. this road has killed more riders than the tail of the dragon, especially at a particularly deadly curve at mile marker 10 on the nc side. hit this curve too fast, and u might not live to repeat that mistake. read this if u ever plan on going to the skyway....... http://www.tailofthedragon.com/cherohala_milemarker10.html

having ur machine in good running condition, especially when it comes to the brakes and tires. next to bald tires could get u killed on a wet road. never ever try to ride on a patched tire, its pure suicide.

if u are on a twisty road, and even 1 turn has gravel, expect all the curves to have gravel and slow down. gravel and 2 wheels dont mix well. also beware of sand, oil, fresh cut grass, and wet leaves....all will drop the bike quick.

look where u want the bike to go, not where it's already going. when it comes to evasion, if u stare at the cage that cut in front of u, u will wind up hittin it instead of avoiding it.

slow down well in advance of hairpin corners. its easier to just power out of a curve after properly setting it up than to risk blazing into a corner that winds up being much sharper than u anticipated.....curves like this kill alot of rookie riders. case in point: mile marker 10 on the cherohala skyway.

respect the bike cause it sure as hell wont respect u. its when u think u got the bike 'mastered' is when the bike will show u who's the real boss.

like guardrailjim said...get the big picture. i scan down the road as far as i can see, and my minumum is 100' down so i can plan any evasive manuvers.

this 1 is a two-parter: 1: always leave the bike in gear at all stop signs and red lights, and 2: always watch the mirrors when u are the first at a stop sign or light. if u refuse to do that, then this could wind up being u: http://home1.gte.net/res0ak9f/1bikestop.gif

never ride faster than ur guardian angel can fly

Answer 9

Rather than repeat the same stuff, I'll mention one item I've not seen addressed.

That is to , whenever possible have a "Hole shot" or a way out if you are not able to brake.
Be aware of what is next to and behind you and see the open slots in front of you.

There are situations when braking is not the answer, An sudden accident in front of you, or debris in the road etc. when evasive maneuvering is a better option than a short stop.

Answer 10

You need to watch every car around you and be aware of your surroundings. The car that you were not concerned with a minute ago is possibly attempting to gain a bike hood ornament at the next light. A good way to "practice" this is to ask yourself am I able to tell someone the make and model of the cars around me going past or going the same direction. AND the horn button is your friend it may be annoying but it is also a way to annoy a driver into knowing you are there.