50 Ways to Save Your Life
1. Assume you’re invisible
Because to a lot of drivers, you are. Never make
a move based on the assumption that another
driver sees you, even if you’ve just made eye
contact. Bikes don’t always register in the fourwheel
mind.
2. Be considerate
The consequences of strafing the jerk du jour or
cutting him off start out bad and get worse.
Pretend it was your grandma and think again.
3. Dress for the crash, not the pool or the prom
Sure, the fish taco stand is a 5-minute trip, but
nobody plans to eat pavement. Modern mesh
gear means 100-degree heat is no excuse for a
T-shirt and board shorts.
4. Hope for the best, prepare for the worst
Assume that car across the intersection will turn
across your bow when the light goes green, with
or without a turn signal.
5. Leave your ego at home
The only people who really care if you were
faster on the freeway will be the officer and the
judge.
6. Pay attention
Yes, there is a half-naked girl on the billboard.
That shock does feel squishy. Meanwhile, you
could be drifting toward Big Trouble. Focus.
7. Mirrors only show you part of the picture
Never change direction without turning you head
to make sure the coast really is clear.
8. Be patient
Always take another second or three before you
pull out to pass, ride away from a curb or into
freeway traffic from an on-ramp. It’s what you
don’t see that gets you. That extra look could
save your butt.
9. Watch your closing speed
Passing cars at twice their speed or changing
lanes to shoot past a row of stopped cars is just
asking for trouble.
10. Beware the verge and the merge
A lot of nasty surprises end up on the sides of the
road: empty fast food bags, nails, TV antennas,
ladders, you name it. Watch for potentially
trouble-some debris on both sides of the road.
11. Left-turning cars remain a leading killer of
motorcyclists
Don’t assume someone will wait for you to dart
through the intersection. They’re trying to beat
the light, too.
12. Beware of cars running traffic lights
The first few seconds after a signal light changes
are the most perilous. Look both ways before
barging into an intersection.
13. Check you mirrors
Do it every time you change lanes, slow down, or
stop. Be ready to move if another vehicle is about
to occupy the space you’d planned to use.
14. Mind the gap
Remember driver’s ed? One second’s worth of
distance per 10 mph is the old rule of thumb.
Better still, scan the next 12 seconds ahead for
potential trouble.
15. Beware of tuner cars
They’re quick and their drivers tend to be
aggressive. Don’t assume you’ve beaten one
away from light or outpaced it in traffic and
change lanes without looking.
16. Excessive entrance speed hurts
It’s the leading cause of single-bike accidents on
twisty roads and racetracks. In Slow, Out Fast is
the old adage, and it still works. Dialing up corner
speed is safer than scrubbing it off.
17. Don’t trust that deer whistle
Ungulates and other feral beasts prowl at dawn
and dusk, so heed those big yellow signs. If
you’re riding in a target-rich environment, slow
down and watch the shoulders.
18. Learn to use both brakes
The front does most of the stopping, but a little
rear brake on corner entry can calm a nervous
chassis.
19. Keep the front brake covered-always
Save a single second of reaction time at 60 mph
and you can stop 88 feet shorter. Think about
that.
20. Look where you want to go
Use the miracle of target fixation to your
advantage. The motorcycle goes where you look,
so focus on the solution instead of the problem.
21. Keep your eyes moving
Traffic is always shifting, so keep scanning for
potential trouble. Don’t lock your eyes on any one
thing for too long unless you’re actually dealing
with trouble.
22. Think before you act
Careful whipping around that Camry going 7 mph
in a 25 mph zone or you could end up with head
in the drivers side door when he turns into the
driveway right in front of you.
23. Raise your gaze
It’s too late to do anything about the 20 feet
immediately in front of your fender, so scan the
road far enough ahead to see trouble and change
trajectory.
24. Get your mind right in the driveway
Most accidents happen during the first 15
minutes of a ride, below 40 mph, near an
intersection or driveway. Yes, even your
driveway.
25. Come to a full stop at that next stop sign
Put a foot down. Look again. Anything less forces
a snap decision with no time to spot potential
trouble.
26. Never dive into a gap in stalled traffic
Cars may have stopped for a reason, and you
may not be able to see why until it’s too late to do
anything about it.
27. Don’t saddle up more than you can handle
If you weigh 95 pounds, avoid that 795-pound
cruiser. If you’re 5-foot-5, forget those towering
adventure-tourers.
28. Watch for car doors opening in traffic
And smacking a car that’s swerving around some
goof-ball’s open door is just as painful.
29. Don’t get in an intersection rut
Watch for a two-way stop after a string of fourway
intersections. If you expect cross-traffic to
stop, there could be a painful surprise when it
doesn’t.
30. Stay in you comfort zone when you’re with a
group
Riding over your head is a good way to end up in
the ditch. Any bunch worth riding with will have a
rendezvous point where you’ll be able to link up
again.
31. Give your eyes some time to adjust
A minute of two of low light heading from a welllighted
garage onto a dark street is a good thing.
Otherwise, you’re essentially flying blind for the
first mile or so.
32. Master the slow U-turn
Practice. Park you butt on the outside edge of the
seat and lean the bike into the turn, using your
body as a counter-weight as you pivot around the
rear wheel.
33. Who put a stop sign at the top of the hill?
Don’t panic. Use the rear brake to keep from
rolling back down. Use Mr. Throttle and Mr.
Clutch normally – and smoothly – to pull away.
34. If it looks slippery, assume it is
A patch of suspicious pavement could be just
about anything. Butter Flavor Crisco? Gravel?
Mobil 1? Or maybe it’s nothing. Better to slow
down for nothing than go on your head.
35. Bang! A blowout! Now what?
No sudden moves. The motorcycle isn’t happy,
so be prepared to apply a little calming muscle to
maintain course. Ease back the throttle, brake
gingerly with the good wheel and pull over very
smoothly to the shoulder.
36. Drops on the faceshield?
It’s raining. Lightly misted pavement can be
slipperier than when it’s been rinsed by a
downpour, and you never know how much grip
there is. Apply maximum -level concentration,
caution and smoothness.
37. Emotions in check?
To paraphrase Mr. Ice Cube, chickity-check
yourself before you wreck yourself. Emotions are
as powerful as any drug, so take inventory every
time you saddle up. If you’re mad, sad,
exhausted or anxious, stay put.
38. Wear good gear
Wear stuff that fits you and the weather. If you’re
too hot or too cold or fighting with a jacket that
binds across the shoulders, you’re dangerous.
It’s that simple.
39. Leave the iPod at home
You won’t hear that cement truck in time with
Spinal Tap cranked to 11, but they might like your
headphones in intensive care.
40. Learn to swerve
Be able to do two tight turns in quick succession.
Flick left around the bag of briquettes, then right
back to your original trajectory. The bike will
follow your eyes, so look at the way around, not
the briquettes. Now practice till it’s a reflex.
41. Be smooth at low speeds
Take some angst out, especially of slow-speed
maneuvers, with a bit of rear brake. It adds a
welcome bit of stability by minimizing unwelcome
weight transfer and potentially bothersome
driveline lash.
42. Flashing is good for you
Turn signals get your attention by flashing, right?
So a few easy taps on the pedal or lever before
stopping makes your brake light more eyecatching
to trailing traffic.
43. Intersections are scary, so hedge your bets
Put another vehicle between your bike and the
possibility of someone running the stop sign/red
light on your right and you cut your chances of
getting nailed in half.
44. Tune your peripheral vision
Pick a point near the center of that wall over
there. Now scan as far as you can by moving
your attention, not your gaze. The more you can
see without turning your head, the sooner you
can react to trouble.
45. All alone at a light that won’t turn green?
Put as much motorcycle as possible directly
above the sensor wire – usually buried in the
pavement beneath you and located by a round or
square pattern behind the limit line. If the light still
won’t change, try putting the kickstand down,
right on the wire. You should be on your way in
seconds.
46. Everything is harder to see after dark
Adjust your headlights, carry a clear faceshield
and have your game all the way on after dark,
especially during commuter hours.
47. Don’t troll next to – or right behind – Mr.
Peterbilt
If one of those 18 retreads blows up – which that
do with some regularity – it de-treads, and that
can be ugly. Unless you like dodging huge
chunks of flying rubber, keep your distance.
48. Take the panic out of panic stops
Develop an intimate relationship with your front
brake. Seek out some safe, open pavement.
Starting slowly, find that fine line between
maximum braking and a locked wheel, and then
do it again, and again.
49. Make your tires right
None of this stuff matters unless your skins are
right. Don’t take ‘em for granted. Make sure
pressure is spot-on every time you ride. Check
for cuts, nails and other junk they might have
picked up, as well as general wear.
50. Take a deep breath
Count to 10. Visualize whirled peas. Forgetting
some clown’s 80-mph indiscretion beats running
the risk of ruining your life, or ending it.
http://www.cohcc.org/data/50%20Ways%20to%20Save%20Your%20Life.pdf