Motorcycle Safety
by Shawnee Bowlin
FeedTheVillage.com - Tips and Advice: Motorcycle Safety
There was a suggestion by a kind young gentleman recently that I post motorcycle safety tips because I am a motorcycle rider. This is my effort to add to the community an article I hope will help improve motorcycle safety. Before I delve into the safety suggestions, I would like to go over something. Please bear with me. A motorcycle is more dangerous than a car. There is no protective frame around your body when you ride one. Just because you can get on the bike and make it go does not mean you are a capable biker. Ask any nurse or doctor who works in the emergency room at a hospital and I'm sure they will agree that motorcycle accidents are very common and serious. Some people are lucky (or blessed) to survive a motorcycle accident with only a few scrapes and bruises. They should be grateful and should make a point to improve the quality of the rest of their lives as a way of showing thanks for their reward of being able to do so! Many people don't believe in being forced to wear helmets. I won't open up that hornet's nest about whether or not this should be mandatory. I personally feel that even though I have been riding for two years now, it is still wise on my part to wear my helmet. I may be stubborn, but as hard-headed as I can be I doubt if it is enough to save my skull from cracking in a bad accident! I love my bike. I hope I look really cool when I ride my bike because it feels great to be on it. I don't really like to get hat hair. I think I look a little dorky in a helmet, but I would rather look a little dorky than be wounded severely when it could have been avoided. There are many helmets available for purchase that are approved for safety that have style. Shop around and find the helmet that matches your personal style. Leathers add to the coolness factor. However, leathers provide added protection. It's a stronger material that will help lessen scrapes and bruises. Leather also can't be beat for the warmth. Outside temperature can feel comfortable until you get on the bike and ride. Once again, there's no shell around you to keep out the wind so the air will feel much cooler. In my opinion, a frozen and shaking biker will be more focused on their personal discomfort than on the awareness needed to ride safely. A sleepy driver is a danger whether in a car or on a bike, but the sleepy biker will be much more at risk of a dangerous accident. Please ride your bike when you can remain alert. Distractions are not safe. Yes, part of the joys of riding is to become more attuned to the beauty of nature. But focus is an absolute must for a biker. A tiny bump, rut, roadkill, or piece of trash in the path can be fatal to a biker. Another issue in biker safety is speed. Taking curves at a high rate of speed can be extremely dangerous. Curves have to be taken with care on a bike because there is less margin for error. Traveling at a higher rate of speed than is safe also puts the biker at greater risk because a bike does not brake like a vehicle. Those sports bikes are awesome, but they are also very dangerous. I got a thrill just watching them go down a race track. But I tried to ride one once and quickly decided they are not meant for everyone. They are to be respected. If you want to ride at such a high rate of speed, at least for the safety of others if not for yourself, please do so at a race track. Click here to read or post comments.
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