As riders we often get questions from non-riders about how on earth we can risk our lives on these “murder cycles.” Maybe this is a dumb thing to say but I always tell people that there is a '“safe” way to ride a motorcycle and a “dangerous” way to ride a motorcycle.” Hear me out.
Nothing is in our control 100%. I know — you could be doing everything right and still end up going down. That is reality and it happens. That’s not what I’m addressing here. The point is to understand that things can go wrong but do your best to not add to the risk with things that are in your control.
Anything can happen at any time and I understand that. But did you know that HALF of all motorcycle accidents involve only one vehicle? The motorcyclist, that’s it. Here are the factors that contribute the most to a crash, and the things that you can do to prevent them:
27% of fatal motorcycle accidents involved alcohol. Furthermore, 41% of alcohol-related motorcycle crashes involved only one vehicle - the rider! It just goes to show that absolutely nothing else could go wrong and you still set yourself up to fail if you don’t ride sober.
36% of riders involved in deadly crashes were unlicensed. What’s more is that riders were more frequently involved in deadly crashes with fixed objects rather than other vehicles. We have to know how to operate our bikes and control them in unexpected situations and the only thing that can help you here is proper training and practice. You can do your best to be prepared – but you should be prepared.
Excessive speeding also accounted for 34% of fatal crashes. If you’re routinely hitting triple digits and riding recklessly, you have a higher chance of ending up hurt or worse, there’s no way around that. It’s impossible for cars to see you past a certain speed because you're simply going too fast for it to register.
Again, it’s important to acknowledge that nothing is in our control 100%, but if there are steps I can take to make myself safer on the road, why wouldn’t I do that? I want to have a long riding career and risks are massively outweighed by the benefits that riding gives me. Here are the takeaways to reduce your risk and feel a little more confident:
Always ride sober. ZERO drinks and ZERO substances. I can not stress this enough.
Get proper training on how to ride a motorcycle and make it a point to refresh your skills and continue learning.
Pay attention to speed limits and road etiquette. Speeding excessively is just rolling the dice, it’s not worth it.
The fact still remains that we all have different levels of risk and a lot of what happens to you is in your hands. As always, ride safe and have fun ✌🏽