Motorcyclists – Avoid the 5 most common crashes

Think! – Motorcyclists are more likely to be injured in fatal crashes, or those that cause serious injuries, than car drivers. THINK! helps bikers and motorists be aware of the dangers. http://think.direct.gov.uk/motorcycles.html

BikeSafe is a police led motorcycle project that is run by most forces throughout the UK. The main aim is to reduce the number of bikers being hurt on the roads. We think that riding should be fun and by improving skills, knowledge and hazard awareness it will hopefully make riding safer and more enjoyable. http://www.bikesafe.co.uk/

 
Motorcyclists – Avoid the 5 most common crashes

Source: http://www.rospa.com/RoadSafety (May2007 – updated Dec2010)

Ride Safe

How you can avoid the 5 most common motorcycle accidents

Riding a motorbike safely requires both skill and judgement. These are the reasons that many of us ride bikes. The successful use of these abilities makes us feel good and we are keen to be the best.

These pages provide information on the 5 most common motorcycle crashes and advice on how you can avoid them. According to an in depth study of motorcycle crashes the 5 most common involve:

Nb: The following links will take you to the original articles on the RoSPA website:

Photo courtesy of the
British Motorcyclists Federation

 …continued below

Motorcycle safety – In 2004, figures released by the UK Department for Transport indicated that serious injuries occurring as a result of motorcycle accidents (per 100 million vehicle kilometres) occur at 16 times the rate of that measured for cars, not to mention double the rate measured for bicycles. Other comparable data from other countries paint largely the same picture: fatalities occurring as a result of motorcycle accidents make up for 5 per cent of all highway fatalities per year in the United States, while motorcycles represent only 2 per cent of registered vehicles.

One of the main reasons for this comparatively high rate of fatalities for motorcyclists is the general lack of protection offered by a motorcycle; it is not so much that motorcycle crashes are significantly more frequent than automobile crashes, but motorcycle crashes have a far higher fatality rate: approximately 80 per cent of motorcycle crashes result in death or serious injury, while only 20 per cent of automobile accidents result in death or serious injury.
So how can a motorcyclist take measures to make themselves safer on the road? There are several ways this can be done: firstly, and most obviously, by wearing the full safety gear at all times. Some items, such as motorcycle helmets, are required by law, but there are still others that are not legal requirements; these can, however, nevertheless save lives in many instances.

Another good idea for ensuring safety on the road is to wear light-coloured or, preferably, fluorescent, clothing. Another major danger with motorcycles is the fact that they are much more likely not to be seen by drivers, so fluorescent safety gear can help to make a motorcycle considerably safer.
It is also a good idea to attend motorcycle safety classes, even after having been awarded a licence. Quite apart from ensuring safety, these can often significantly reduce insurance premiums.
– by Christian Robshaw

Motorcycling is a skill for life and any skill needs to be practiced, honed and developed. If you haven’t been on a bike for a while ease yourself back in to riding gently and think about refresher training.

When you’ve had a good safe ride, think back to the skills and knowledge that made it good. Where it hasn’t been so good or you’ve had a near miss, have other issues like group pressure, lack of practice, tiredness, distraction, anger, or stress got in the way?

Learn the lessons of experience to improve your skills and your enjoyment of motorcycling. An assessment ride such as BikeSafe will highlight problem areas. To be better than the rest, ensure you have the skills and ability to deal with any situation by getting further on-road training from an accredited provider.