Moto: Safety Tips When Traveling on a Motorcycle

People who own a motorcycle, we love to ride. Whether it may be to and from work, going to certain places and long travels, it is more fun when done on a motorcycle. And why not? You can feel the air, see all the wonderful sights and simply enjoying the freedom of being on a motorcycle.

But one of the reasons why a lot of people are still discouraged on having their own motorcycle is that it can be very dangerous. Compared to a car which has 4 wheels, a two wheeled vehicle will always be at a disadvantage. However, it is good to know that a lot of the bad things that can happen to a person riding a motorcycle can be avoided or prevented just by following a few simple steps. These simple things can spell the difference between you enjoying your ride and you ending up in a hospital bed. So without further adieu, here are a few safety tips that everyone can follow when riding a motorcycle.

• Road Positioning - Where you place yourself and your motorcycle on the road is a very big factor in determining safety when on a ride. This is mainly because cagers (people who are on 4 wheeled vehicles) tend to ignore motorcyclist as they pass on. So proper positioning is a good step in ensuring road safety. Where to position yourself on the road during a ride? On the RIGHT side of the road, or at least a little bit on the right from the center of the road. This will give you the chance to pull up the roadside in case anything happens (a fast car merging with you on the road or overtaking). Why not the left side? Because staying on the left will make you prone to collisions with vehicles from the opposite side and the middle part of the road is where oil from cars usually accumulate which will not be safe for motorcycles. Pictured below is the perfect place where a motorcyclist can position himself/herself while on the road.

The rider is on the right side of the road for safety.

• Turning Signals - The purpose of the yellow lights that can be found on both sides of your motorcycle is to determine where you would want to make a turn, so that motorists behind you can make all the necessary adjustments when you do so. This is why the turning signals have to be turned off once you have already made the turn to avoid confusion. During daytime when turning lights can be unnoticeable at times, making hand waving signals when making a turn can also help in keeping yourself safe while on the road.

• Visibility - This is perhaps one of the basic things that a motorcyclist must learn before hopping on a motorcycle. And this is one of the most important thing to remember because as stated above, cagers are the worst enemies of motorcyclist, and part of it has to do with visibility. How to keep yourself visible to everyone on the road? For starters, wear a light colored helmet. Yes, going all black when riding automatically makes you a badass, but when it comes to problems with visibility, you have only yourself to blame. Invest in a light colored helmet or better yet, get one that will be most visible especially during nighttime. Wear light colored clothing or a vest with reflectors on it when riding at night. And staying on the right side of the road? This also allows cagers to see you from their side mirrors adding visibility. Keeping your headlight on during the day also adds visibility during riding even at daytime. This is the reason why a lot of motorcycle manufacturers nowadays keep the headlights on even during daytime. Adding LED lights (not blinkers!) to your motorcycle will also help.

Motorcyclist on a highly visible helmet and gears.



• Do Not Overspeed - Overspeeding is easily one of the top reasons for most road accidents and fatalities. Though cranking up your motorcycle can be fun, it would almost always cause a lapse in mental judgement causing miscalculations that can result to accidents while on the road. So keep your speed to a minimum. Obey traffic rules especially speed limits. Because even though you may end up alive, you will most likely still end up having your license messed up or worse, end up in jail.

Follow them or else.

• Wear Your Gears - Last but not definitely the least, investing in safety gears would totally give you a lot of benefits in the future. Even though safety gears such as crash helmets, padded gloves, elbow and knee protectors as well as spine protectors can be quite pricey, they would spell the difference between you alive and well or ending up paralyzed or worse, dead after an accidents. Always remember that no matter how careful you are when riding, there will always be people who would try to kill on the road by going reckless and there is no telling when it will happen.

Right on.

So those are just some of the tips that you can follow to ensure your safety (and your rider if you have one) when riding on a motorcycle. Just remember to be aware of your surroundings when traveling and never forget to enjoy the ride.