Safety on the road is an effective motorcycle driving strategy. It’s not “being prepared to get out of a difficult situation quickly”, it’s knowing how to avoid getting into those difficult situations! Avoid them, consciously, or just “on automatic”. Keeping yourself safe means not getting screwed over.
In addition to the rules of the road, there are several unspoken rules of safe behavior on the road, which drivers “deduced” by experience:
- The “3 D’s” rule – “Make way for the Fool”, let him hurry if he needs it the most! Let an aggressive or rule-breaking driver pass, stay out of his way. Let him hurry, you have a faster and more maneuverable vehicle anyway. He – in the end will definitely “fly” somewhere, and you – get there faster and calmer.
- Rule of the intersection. Always slow down a little before intersections, it is the most problematic element of the road, on which “pops up” the most accidents and occurs up to 40% of all accidents. By slowing down in advance, you will reduce your stopping distance in an emergency. By slowing down, you get extra time to assess the situation and make a decision.
- Distance rule. The braking distance of a motorcycle is almost always longer than that of a car. If at the same speed, you and the forward braking simultaneously – the difference will be insignificant, but usually the reaction to “stops” takes up to half a second, for which the distance is reduced by several meters, so always leave more space ahead of you.
Of course, no one can tell you exactly, down to the meter, what is the safest distance to keep on a motorcycle or at what speed it is safest to ride. Every road situation “dictates” the way out of it in its own way, and your reactions and overall active safety depend almost entirely on what and how much you have been riding.