On a motorcycle, one thing is absolutely true: You have little protection against impact if someone hits you. That’s why your priority should be to avoid other drivers and any errors that they make.
While that may seem like an unfair burden, the reality is that the roads will always have dangerous drivers. Taking a few steps to make yourself more obvious and being able to mitigate the risks can help keep you safer.
What can you do to avoid crashes on your motorcycle?
While you may not be able to prevent every motorcycle crash, there are a few things you can do to be safer. Here are three to keep in mind.
- Wear light, bright and reflective gear
When you wear bright, light or reflective items while riding, you stand out against the typical gray, green and blue background of the sky, roads and earth. Wearing a bright yellow vest with reflectors, for example, helps draw attention to you and reflect light back at drivers. That way, they are more likely to see you and avoid colliding with you.
- Ride on safer routes
You may not always be able to take a specific route to get to a destination, but when you can, opt for the highway. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration performed a study in 2007 that determined that around 91% of all motorcycle crashes happened on non-interstate roads. It’s much more likely to get into a crash on city streets and roads, because the lanes are narrower and there is opposing traffic that you may not face on a highway.
- Ride responsibly
Finally, remember that you can take steps to ride more responsibly, too. Stay within the speed limit, wear the appropriate gear (and helmet) and check around you before turning. Many motorcycle crashes happen because motorcyclists aren’t seen, so watch out for people who may not see you.
These are a few things you can do to reduce the risk of a motorcycle crash. With the right preparation and actions on the road, you can be safer and help mitigate the risk of a crash.
