In 2018, over 5000 motorcycle riders died from accidents. Many more were seriously injured.
Therein lies the unfortunate truth of riding. Every time you get behind the handlebars of a bike, you’re taking your life into your hands more so than you would if you opted for a safer, enclosed vehicle.
While motorcycle riding is inventively dangerous, there are several motorcycle safety tips out there that can help mitigate your risk substantially. If you’re interested in learning what those tips are, we suggest you keep reading.
Below, our team breaks down 8 insights on how you can take your bike safety game to the next level.
1. Never Ride Without Proper Licensure
We’ll open up our motorcycle safety tips with a nod to something that should be obvious to riders. You shouldn’t ever hop behind the handlebars of a bike if you’re not licensed to ride one.
Not only does not being licensed mean that you likely don’t know how to ride your bike as well as you should/aren’t aware of local laws, but getting into an accident without a license will severely hurt your outcome in a personal injury case from a motorcycle accident.
Getting a motorcycle license doesn’t take much time. Invest the hours and start your riding journey off on the right foot.
2. Don’t Shuttle Passengers Until You’re Experienced
Riding a bike is hard. Riding a bike with a person wrapped around you and weighing down your bike’s backside is harder.
This is the main reason why we’re big advocates of not putting passengers on your bike until you feel 100% confident in your ability to ride solo.
Remember, biking puts your life at risk. Biking with a passenger puts your life and someone else’s in harm’s way. That’s a responsibility you need to take seriously.
3. Be a Defensive Driver
If you ride and assume that other drivers are going to do a perfect job of seeing you, think again. Bikes are smaller and faster than cars. In some states, bikes are even legally allowed to cut between cars on streets and highways.
This puts a lot of pressure on drivers to be able to track bikes which, when added to the fact that most drivers today are distracted, is a big problem. To be safe, assume that drivers can’t see you and take persuasions when around them to put yourself in the least vulnerable positions.
4. Wear a Full Face Helmet
For a while, there was a trend where bikers would wear skull cap helmets. These helmets protect the top of biker’s skulls but leave their whole faces exposed.
It’s abundantly clear that full-face helmets do much more to protect the health and lives of bikers. Therefore, you should invest in full facial coverage when biking.
There are even programs out there that buyback skull cap helmets so bikers can use proceeds to invest in better protection.
5. Invest in Other Safety Gear
Bike safety doesn’t end with your head. You have other areas of your body that house vital organs, bones, and of course, skin, that need protecting.
Look into gear that can help save you from road rash when you’re in a bike accident. Also, dig into spinal protection that will lower your chances of becoming paralyzed after a serious accident.
Protective gear can be expensive but believe us when we say that the cost is well worth persevering your mobility and life.
6. Have a Plan B for Bad Weather
Your chances of being in a motorcycle accident are high enough. There’s no reason to raise those odds even more by hopping on a bike when it’s pouring rain or snowing.
Always have a plan B for adverse weather if your primary vehicle is a motorcycle. Being able to call in an Uber or having the knowledge to hop on a bus could be the difference between you making it to your destination safely or being seriously injured.
7. Stop Road Rage
There’s an element of biking culture that sometimes celebrates road rage. This stems from the perception that drivers making mistakes could cost bikers dearly and therefore, it makes sense to hold drivers accountable for any near-calls they may be responsible for.
For starters, the additional liability that motorcyclists take on when riding should be shouldered by cyclists. Taking charge of that liability empowers bikers to also take charge of being more defensive on the road which will increase their safety. Second, by acting out against driving mistakes, bikers put themselves at further risk of accidents.
All of that to say that road rage is unproductive in any case, let alone when riding in an exposed vehicle at high speeds.
8. Get Visible
The more people can see you, the less at risk you’ll be when biking. The best way to get visible on a bike is to make sure it’s well lit and to wear reflective gear.
Sure, bright bikes and vests may not be the aesthetic you’re going for. Some things are much more important than how you look when you’re riding through.
The Importance of Respecting Motorcycle Safety Tips Cannot Be Understated
Motorcycle safety tips save lives. It’s as simple as that.
If you feel compelled to ride a motorcycle, make it a point to commit a handful of the most important tips to memory and always be mindful of exercising them when on the road.
Getting educated on how best to interact with your bike is a lifelong journey. For more tips on motorcycles or other things related to lifestyle topics, check out additional content on our blog.
