MOTORCYCLE SAFETY - CRASH AVOIDANCE

by Jerry Palladino (MOTORMAN)

I read somewhere recently that 99% of the crashes most riders get involved in are avoidable. While that may seem a little hard to believe, it just may be true.

Let's look at the most common motorcycle crash which of course, occurs when another vehicle violates your right of way. This usually happens as you approach an intersection and a vehicle turns left in front of you. It also occurs when a vehicle pulls out from a side road into your path, but let's look at the left turning vehicle first and how to avoid the crash since your actions should be pretty much the same for both scenarios.

Here are the best ways to avoid a crash in these situations. First, look at least 12 seconds ahead of your motorcycle. Your eyes should be scanning from left to right and up and down. The sooner you see the potential hazard, the more time you'll have to react. Second, since most crashes happen in an intersection, slow down when approaching one. Cover both your front and rear brakes as you get closer to the intersection. Position your bike to the left side of your lane. If you're going to have to swerve around the left turning vehicle, your swerve will usually be to the left around the back of the vehicle and then quickly back to the right. However, most of the time in that situation, your only course of action will be to stop quickly using both your front and rear brakes. That's why it is so important to practice emergency braking using both brakes. The average rider never does practice braking, consequently, in that situation, the average rider slams on the rear brake, locks the tire and skids right into the vehicle. Even if he misses the vehicle, he still slides onto the ground. Either way, he crashes for no reason.

By looking way ahead of your motorcycle, you'll be able to anticipate the actions of that vehicle and be able to apply your brakes long before it becomes an emergency. If you spend just a few minutes a week practicing emergency braking, you will lessen the chances of locking the rear wheel dramatically.

The second most common motorcycle crash involves only the motorcycle and its called failure to negotiate a turn. What usually happens is the rider gets into a turn and suddenly believes he's going too fast to make it around the curve. Maybe the rider hears the pegs start to scrape. Since he's not familiar with that sound, he panics, straightens up the bike, then looks at the yellow line in the road, the guard rail, or even the oncoming vehicle and a crash occurs. In over 600 cases of failure to negotiate a curve studied, in every case the bike was capable of making the turn at the speed the rider was going, the rider was not.

So, how do you avoid this crash? It's simple. Learn to use head and eyes properly. When rounding a curve to the left, position your bike to the right side of the lane and focus on the end of the turn and no where else. Never, never, look at the yellow line, the guard rail, or the oncoming car. If the road curves to the right, position your bike to the left side of the lane as you enter the curve.

In addition, find your bikes' limits in a parking lot at 5mph where the worst that could happen is a simple tip-over. The bottom line, practice makes perfect. Learn to use your head and eyes properly. It is the key to safe riding. Learn to use both your front and rear brakes and keep them from locking so you very well may be able to avoid 99% of the crashes you're likely to be involved in. At the very least, you will minimize injuries to yourself and damage to your bike. Don't be an average rider who depends on dumb luck. Instead, practice and Ride Like a PRO.

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More articles by MOTORMAN:

Back to Basics Series:		About Jerry Palladino: A "Motorman" is the term used in police circles to identify a motorcycle cop, or any law enforcement officer assigned to the motorcycle division. Prior to becoming a Motor Officer, Jerry rode for enjoyment for about 25 years. Then one day, he saw a 5 minute segment on a television show which depicted motorcycle officers training on their Harley police bikes. The way these officers could maneuver these full size motorcycles around like a child's toy, made it appear as if they were defying gravity. At that moment, he knew that he had a lot to learn about riding a motorcycle. Shortly afterwards, the agency he worked for started a motorcycle unit. he was sent for training to Tallahassee with the highway patrol. The training consisted of 120 hours of intensive motorcycle training, focusing mainly on low speed handling. Jerry says, "When I finished this training, for the first time I really knew how to ride a motorcycle."
Art of the Dip The Art of the Lean The Barrel Race Cold Weather Riding Counter Steering Crashes Involving Motorcycles Failure to Negotiate a Curve The Foot Dragger A Good Defense Group Riding Having an Escape Path Head and Eyes	Is Experience the Best Teacher It's All In Your Head Making the Bike Fit the Rider Mastering the U-Turn Overcoming The Fear Of Leaning Your Bike Slow Speed Maneuvers Slow Ride Practice Exercises The Timid Rider Turning From A Stop On A Hill
Safety Series:
Crash Avoidance Drinking & Riding Emergency Braking Obstacles and How To Avoid Them Tips, Tricks & Techniques #1 Tips, Tricks & Techniques #2 Tips, Tricks & Techniques #3