Rider safety and visability is no, 1 .
The commonest remark made by drivers of cars/trucks etc, when involved in an accident with a motorcycle is ,
'Sorry Mate I did Not see You!!!. Yes it looks cool when you have a Black Helmet and dressed in black gear,and your bike is painted mat black. I am sure your girlfriend might be impressed,But if you are involved in a serious accident involving a car or truck etc, and they did not see you because you were not highly visable then really you only have yourself to blam,that may seem harsh but I strongly believe that wearing a HiVis or Fluro jacket helps to make you safer and you have more chance of being seen on the road.There will always be a time when there poss, is nothing you can do.
One example can be seen on The Motorcycle Adventure with Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman on their Long Way Round trip when they arived in Canada and a car ran into Ewan from behind.pretty difficult to avoid.
One of the things I do when keeping an eye on the traffic behind me is to see if they are going to fast for the area and conditions and if I notice that they are I try to position myself in a safer place in the traffic or get to the side of the road if it is safely possible.Better to let them past.They are probably in a hurry to get to their next accident,oops did I say that.All this is easier said than done.Sometimes just luck has to be on your side,although I like to ride deffensively wherever and whenever I possibly can.By defensively I mean presume all others on the road dont see you and you must take that extra effort to watch them and be prepaired to take evasive action.I like to check the driver out.See if they have noticed me,see if they are talking or distracted with a cell phone or someone else in the car.Check to see if the cars wheels are just starting to move and just keep a ready eye so that I can slow down.If you have to brake, every second matters. Well I think you know what I mean.Always and I means Always try to keep some distance from you and the other vehicles on the road.IE try to keep back from the car/truck etc, in front of you.You really cant judge everything they are going to do.!
Its difficult for car drivers to do all those things, answer that important call on their mobile,see that their hair is looking great,eat the last bit of their burger or subway before getting back to the office, oh well you know what I mean :) .Dont follow that close that you dont have time to take evasive action if needed.
Remember,they probably dont ever know your there!
I will try to offer you my many years of deffensive driving advise that has kept me alive and enjoying motorcycle riding for over 45 years but some things we just have to learn day to day.Riding can be so much fun and so enjoyable that its worth riding defensively so you can enjoy the very same thing the next day the next week and so on.
http://www.motorcycleschool.co.nz/
Heres a great local Motorcycle Riding School in New Zealand
'Sorry Mate I did Not see You!!!. Yes it looks cool when you have a Black Helmet and dressed in black gear,and your bike is painted mat black. I am sure your girlfriend might be impressed,But if you are involved in a serious accident involving a car or truck etc, and they did not see you because you were not highly visable then really you only have yourself to blam,that may seem harsh but I strongly believe that wearing a HiVis or Fluro jacket helps to make you safer and you have more chance of being seen on the road.There will always be a time when there poss, is nothing you can do.
One example can be seen on The Motorcycle Adventure with Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman on their Long Way Round trip when they arived in Canada and a car ran into Ewan from behind.pretty difficult to avoid.
One of the things I do when keeping an eye on the traffic behind me is to see if they are going to fast for the area and conditions and if I notice that they are I try to position myself in a safer place in the traffic or get to the side of the road if it is safely possible.Better to let them past.They are probably in a hurry to get to their next accident,oops did I say that.All this is easier said than done.Sometimes just luck has to be on your side,although I like to ride deffensively wherever and whenever I possibly can.By defensively I mean presume all others on the road dont see you and you must take that extra effort to watch them and be prepaired to take evasive action.I like to check the driver out.See if they have noticed me,see if they are talking or distracted with a cell phone or someone else in the car.Check to see if the cars wheels are just starting to move and just keep a ready eye so that I can slow down.If you have to brake, every second matters. Well I think you know what I mean.Always and I means Always try to keep some distance from you and the other vehicles on the road.IE try to keep back from the car/truck etc, in front of you.You really cant judge everything they are going to do.!
Its difficult for car drivers to do all those things, answer that important call on their mobile,see that their hair is looking great,eat the last bit of their burger or subway before getting back to the office, oh well you know what I mean :) .Dont follow that close that you dont have time to take evasive action if needed.
Remember,they probably dont ever know your there!
I will try to offer you my many years of deffensive driving advise that has kept me alive and enjoying motorcycle riding for over 45 years but some things we just have to learn day to day.Riding can be so much fun and so enjoyable that its worth riding defensively so you can enjoy the very same thing the next day the next week and so on.
http://www.motorcycleschool.co.nz/
Heres a great local Motorcycle Riding School in New Zealand
