Staying Safe on the Streets!

As we all know being a rider indicates !!ALOT!! of risk and danger when being out on the street, weither it be getting into an accident or worse. So I thought it would be fun and benefical if we all shared some of our ideas/techniques we use on the road to try and keep ourselfs safe.

So of the Techniques i use is that:: on the freeway I will not ride behind a car that is closer than about 12 seconds ahead of me, and no cars on either side, plus i make it a purpose to only ride in either the fast lane or slow lane because any other lane blocks my escape route. =-)

*Ride Safe* :Sport:

my rule for freeway riding is "always be passing" the theory goes like this, if I'm overtaking everyone the odds of getting rear ended are less. I use all the lanes as needed I'll split traffic just to get around it. adjust my speed to stay away from the pack. I'll slow down if it keeps me in a large hole that I have all to myself. if traffic starts gaining on me I'll accelerate if I'm gaining on a pack and don't have any traffic close behind I'll slow down.

City riding is similar except, its Dangerous to just blitz traffic. so normally I "filter" to the front at signal lights, when the light changes I'll holeshot the traffic to open up a gap then just cruise in a low gear so I have power on tap if I need it. I also never ride in the right lane unless I'm going to make a right. the risk of a car pulling out of a driveway infront of you increase your odds of getting rear ended or hitting the car. at intersections that I hit with a green light I'll try to use a car as a shield to lessen the odds of a car making a left turn in front of me. and the last tip I have goes for both freeway and city, make sure you always cancel your blinker after using it there is nothing dumber then inviting some one to pull out in front of you.

Cover your brake lever at all times.
Keep your eyes up.
Dont ride tired.
Keep your tires and brakes in tip top condition. Every thing you want the bike to do goes thru the tires. Two patches smaller than the palm of your hand is all that keeps you upright and alive.
Watch the stopped traffics wheels, not the bumper or drivers eyes. I dont care if he looks like he sees me.
Always look for the redlight runner.
Dont brake on paint arrows.
Just cause the cornor was clear of gravel last time doesnt mean it is today.
Cold tires lock easy.
WEAR your gear, you cant go home and get it when you need it.

Watching the front tires of a car facing me, waiting to make a left turn, has saved my bacon twice already. Folks don't usually start turning their wheels until they're commited to the turn (90% of the time, anyway).
Try to stay out of adjacent lane drivers' blind spots. Accelerate past them when necessary.
Don't trust anyone's turn signals.
Keep checking your six (I still need work on this one).

I keep in mind everything that taught me in Riders Ed. I installed the additional brakelight on my Givi topcase. Just purchased a retroreflective vest for dusk to night time riding. And of course additional insurance to protect my family.http://www.600riders.com/forum/images/smilies/sport12.gif
:Sport:

My extra things, on the highway, like sportrider said, I'm always passing. Once I get into the city. I ride high in the gear so the engine is a little louder and I have instant acceleration. If I'm next to a car for any length of time, while moving, I'll pull the clutch and blip the throttle. It's annoying as hell, but if their annoyed at me, it's because they know I'm there. And lastly, my brights are always on (exception two lane roads at night with oncoming traffic).

:: on the freeway I will not ride behind a car that is closer than about 12 seconds ahead of me, and no cars on either side,

12 seconds at freeway speed - 60 mph - is about 400 yards. If you did that here you would have 6 or 7 cars fill the gap. I normally leave about 3 seconds - about 100 yards and even then cars will try to push into the gap. If you can drive on a freeway with no cars on either side, the freeway must be very quiet.

Steve

stevek said:

:: on the freeway I will not ride behind a car that is closer than about 12 seconds ahead of me, and no cars on either side,

12 seconds at freeway speed - 60 mph - is about 400 yards. If you did that here you would have 6 or 7 cars fill the gap. I normally leave about 3 seconds - about 100 yards and even then cars will try to push into the gap. If you can drive on a freeway with no cars on either side, the freeway must be very quiet.

Steve

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Well thats normally the gap i try to give myself between cars, and yes cars do fill in.. but when they do i my gap closes drastically i will switch the lane, and there are cars on the side of me i just keep away from them being directly next to me, so that way i can keep an escape route.

When approaching a junction don't sit too close to the car infront. This is especially important if it's a van or truck in front of you, as other drivers can't see that you're behind him/her.
I find in these situations the biggest danger is traffic coming from your right, if they see only the van and no other traffic behind they automatically pull out without waiting or checking after the van has passed. This can be especially dangerous if the van in front turns right and the driver coming from the right pulls out (not having seen you).
If I see a car coming from the right I make sure I am as visable as possible, sometimes this means dropping back a bit and riding on the right hand side of your lane for a short period of time, until you're sure the guy has seen you.

Agree with wrightme; Don't ride tired, I nearly wrecked last weekend cos I needed a walk & a coffee.

Sounds stupid but, concentrate!

FREEWAYS- I find that the very left lane aka "fast lane" is my lane of choice. I only have to worry about a bad lane change from the right. I never ride in the right lane aka "slow lane" just because not only do you have to worry about bad lane changes, you have to worry about merging traffic from on ramps and people exiting. And how many times have we seen vehicles at the very last second swerve abrubty across one or lanes to exit. I guarantee you that when they do that, they are only looking for cars, not motorcycles. As mentioned by Sportsrider, separation is a good idea, however we all can't split lanes, at least legally.

SURFACE STREETS - Always look left and right through intersections, even if you have the green. People are always running red lights. As mentioned by Wrightme43, good idea to cover the brake levers, especially though blind intersections. As always, be aware of bad left turns and vehicles pulling out.

I ride like I am invisible.... meaning I pretend that NOBODY sees me

mikenbern said:

I ride like I am invisible.... meaning I pretend that NOBODY sees me

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I forget where I read it, but I like to think of it the other way around. Pretend that ALL of the other traffic is out to get you. When they do something stupid towards you, they're simply doing THEIR job. It's YOUR job to try to anticipate and avoid the stupidity.

I ride on I-80 home alot. Serious riding there. Traffic from Avenue of the Saints and I-80 intersection is just outside Iowa City.

When I'm out I try to isolate myself from cars, especially Semis. Most dangerous thing you can do IMO is take your time passing a Semi on the left. I try to stay in left lane on the left half, that way you can check your mirrors easily for cars coming up, and an easy blind spot check if you change lanes.

I always try to stress using my signals.

In town I always ride in the left lane, so I have an escape into those middle turning lanes if needed. Other than that I try to look at the walk lights at intersections to gauge if I'm going to hit a red or not.

And always make sure you use both brakes. I always try to keep in mind the 70/30% on front/back breaks, so using solely the front brakes in a quick stop can have terrible consequences.

In my local newspaper a Sheriff passed two idiots doing 85, one of them saw the Sheriff and tried to slow down too quickly using only his front break, he flipped it, and was lucky to survive.

VEGASRIDER said:

SURFACE STREETS - Always look left and right through intersections, even if you have the green. People are always running red lights. As mentioned by Wrightme43, good idea to cover the brake levers, especially though blind intersections. As always, be aware of bad left turns and vehicles pulling out.

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I adopt the same. Just because the light's green doesn't mean some d*ckhead won't pull out. My main rule is STAY ALERT. I filter, change lanes, dominate lanes, overtake. I do everything that keeps me moving faster than the cars, for that is what having a bike is all about for me, but I am always alert. If I'm too tired or cold I'll stop and have a rest even, and this has happened before, if I am 10 miles from home. For those who watched Long Way Down it's those final few miles before the end of your journey when you are tired and thinking of your destination that it is way too easy to rear end someone or not spot someone u-turning or pulling out in front.

I avoid the freeway's. I stick to the secondary roads in the mornings and afternoons unless it's to and from work. In the mornings and afternoons most people here are at work, so the roads are clear.

What are my tips for driving??

Defensive driving!!

Always assume the person behind, in front, coming towards you and anyone to your side (when on a motorway, dual carriageway and freeway for you guys) are out to kill you. Then I will always make sure I have an escape route, I dont necessarily leave a very large distance between cars in front as it is not necessary, especially since cars moving into that gap obvously have to overtake you to assume that position in front of you, hightening the risks of them side swiping you, and pulling in too close in front of you.

Defensive driving is quite easy, dont give way to a car, ever. Never stop for a car which is indicating into or out of a junction and one that will cross over your path. I only let cars move across my path when in the city as traffic speeds rarely exceed 30 miles an hour and in most cases it is when I am going very slow (my stopping distance in this instance would be less than 30/40 cm!!!!)

Just remember a few things:

Go at a speed that you can see to be clear and one that you can stop on time if required.

Remember where your horn is

Loud exhausts are USELESS when the car is coming towards you, bleeping your throttle will do nothing in this case.

Everyone around you cant drive, has never taken a lesson and is genetically predisposed to move into the space that you occupy at any opportunity...

Always remain aware, scan side roads, what is in front and around cars which can possibly affect your clean and safe line of sight

When coming to a junction and you are not sure if a car will come out, SLOW DOWN!!! Its not a race, dont be too hasty to get to the finish line of life.

Wear the proper gear....I know many dont and its your choice, but when you fall off you'll be wishing you had.

Get lessons!! People from a forum give opinions and experience tips, these can not be used and should never be taken as complete truth and correct riding, they are however great when you already know the basics and correct riding techniques as each situation on the road demands different actions, and lessons can rarely teach you that!!

Get insurance, who knows when we will bite the tarmac!

And HAVE FUN!!! Remain relaxed, aware and safe this Christmas!!

Two bikers in Ireland have already died this week...very sad indeed when it is almost always a car which knocks bikers down.

clunk said:

I forget where I read it, but I like to think of it the other way around. Pretend that ALL of the other traffic is out to get you. When they do something stupid towards you, they're simply doing THEIR job. It's YOUR job to try to anticipate and avoid the stupidity.

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by pretending you are invisible that would mean that everybody is likely to pull in frint of you, not yeild regardless right away, change lanes irespective of where you are....etc

vokal389 said:

As we all know being a rider indicates !!ALOT!! of risk and danger when being out on the street, weither it be getting into an accident or worse. So I thought it would be fun and benefical if we all shared some of our ideas/techniques we use on the road to try and keep ourselfs safe.

So of the Techniques i use is that:: on the freeway I will not ride behind a car that is closer than about 12 seconds ahead of me, and no cars on either side, plus i make it a purpose to only ride in either the fast lane or slow lane because any other lane blocks my escape route. =-)

*Ride Safe* :Sport:

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12 seconds??? Do you not have front brakes on your bike or are you just not confident in your braking skills? It's not the guy in front of you that's the problem, it's the one behind you on a cell phone. Leaving that much time & space between you and the vehicle in front of you is just an invitation for other people to tailgate you.

its all good advice, the reality is if we all practiced it every day then we wouldn't die.
IMO awarness is the best skill. The UK road safety estimate that 75% of motorcycle fatalities happen within three miles of their start/end destination. I think Luggs has highlighted this or was it Ped.