10 Motorcycle Safety Tips For Riders

Handlebar of motorcycle

Every year, hundreds of people get killed or injured in motorcycle accidents. While motorcycle safety doesn’t come down to just wearing safety gear and getting your license, it’s still important to keep safety in mind while riding your bike on the open road.

In this article, we will talk about safety tips you can follow in order to keep yourself safe while riding a motorcycle. At the core of this article, we are all about rider education, because increasing rider education & skills are what saves lives.

10 safety motorcycles tips

  1. Wear Protective Motorcycle Gear
  2. Carry safety essentials
  3. Know your bike inside out
  4. Stay off the phone
  5. Go through motorcycle safety courses
  6. Be aware of distracted drivers
  7. Look out for safety risks on the road
  8. Look for a bike with ABS
  9. Be Extra Cautious In Car Parks
  10. Avoid riding in the rain

Wear Protective Motorcycle Gear

Wearing protective motorcycle gear while riding your bike is important, safety gear should always be the first thing you think of while planning to ride on the highways.

It’s always important to wear safety gear when riding a motorcycle for safety reasons. There are many safety features in helmets, jackets, and gloves that will help protect you from harm if you happen to happen into an accident. Motorcycle riders who don’t wear safety gear are more likely to sustain injuries or even end up dying in a motorcycle accident.

My recommendation is to always wear a motorcycle jacket, pants, helmet, gloves, and boots every time you ride. It might seem annoying, uncomfortable or take too much time to put on motorcycle helmets, boots or a pair of gloves but that gear is what saves you in a crash. Motorcycle helmets are by far the most important piece of safety gear.

It’s also very important to wear the appropriate safety gear for the weather conditions that you’re going to be riding in. If it’s raining, then it’s important that you wear rain-proof safety gear like rain boots, rain pants, and a rain jacket, as well as wearing safety goggles or glasses that can withstand water damage.

Carry safety essentials

You need to carry safety essentials with you when on a motorcycle, safety essentials include safety pins, spare light bulb kits, and safety tools. Safety pins will help in case your break down far far away from civilization while having a flat tire sidelined with no safety tools around is not safe at all.

Spare light bulbs are a must-have because if a headlight bulb burns out, it’s dangerous for both yourself and other drivers on the road. Safety tools may come in handy when something gets loose or breaks off. You can use them to tighten screws before getting home or carrying out any repairs.

It might seem weird for motorcycle riders to carry safety essentials on every ride, but these safety essentials will make a huge difference when you need them.

Know your bike inside out

Repairing motorcycle

It’s not safe to hop on a motorcycle and not have the slightest idea of what you’re doing. You need to be an expert at handling the controls before going out on open roads. Knowing how your brake system works or how your engine works are safety-wise really important.

You will also need safety instructions for knowing safety instructions about your safety gear like knowing where everything is located on your jacket, helmet, boots, etc… so that if something goes wrong with them you’ll be able to fix it right away without any trouble. If you don’t know how to handle safety-related stuff then I would recommend taking a motorcycle safety course.

Stay off the phone

Talking on your cell phone is an absolute no-no when riding a motorcycle. You never know what can happen with safety on the road, so anything that takes your safety attention away from the road should be avoided. Be smart, turn off your phone unless it’s an emergency, and always ride safe!

Go through motorcycle safety courses

Traffic cones on race course, Bonneville Salt Flats, during Speed Week.

It might sound nerdy, but going through a motorcycle safety course can literally save your life! It’s safety-wise very important that you go through motorcycle safety courses so you have safety knowledge for riding safely on the road.

Knowledge is safety, so if you know what to do if something were to happen while being out on the open roads then it’s a bonus. Though motorcycle safety courses are expensive, they are definitely worth it because your life depends on your safety skills and safety knowledge.

Be aware of distracted drivers

Driving being distracted is dangerous, especially if you’re not safety-minded. You can avoid safety issues by always staying focused on the road and what other vehicles are doing around you to make sure no safety hazards occur.

It’s safety-wise very important to stay focused when riding a motorcycle. When you’re not paying attention, safety hazards can happen in an instant and it could be too late by the time you realize what is going on.

Not talking on your phone while riding or even checking navigation will help you focus on the road and be aware of other distracted drives. Other drivers may even suddenly slam their brakes or make sudden turns without any signs because other vehicles aren’t thinking about you. Sadly, you can’t expect other vehicles to do what you expect them to do.

A significant number of motorcycle riders involved in fatal crashes included a distracted driver hitting a motorcyclist.

Look out for safety risks on the road

Never ride your motorcycle in unsafe areas or areas that aren’t wide enough for two cars to drive safely side by side. Make sure that if two motorcycles drive next to each other, they can do so safely without causing any accidents with safety cars coming the other way.

Always check for safety hazards like potholes, slippery roads/paths etc… before riding anywhere. If there’s a safety hazard present then try avoiding it as much as possible.

Sadly, motorcyclists aren’t perfect, and we do make mistakes. Hitting or missing a pothole on a motorcycle can be the difference between fatal crashes or going home safely.

Look for a bike with ABS safety

Mechanic fixing custom motorcycle wheel

ABS or anti-lock brakes systems are excellent for avoiding accidents and keeping you safe on the road. When braking quickly ABS kicks in to prevent your wheels from locking up, this helps you maintain control of your bike much better than non-ABS bikes do.

If you’re planning on buying a new motorcycle it’s important to buy one with ABS included. If not, then look into getting ABS installed aftermarket since there are plenty of kits available that can help keep you safer by preventing your tires from locking up during emergency stops! Still, aftermarket ABS is expensive and it’s probably just worth buying a bike with ABS.

If you don’t have ABS you will need to modulate the front wheel and rear wheel braking in real-time to simulate ABS.

Be Extra Cautious In Car Parks

Car park

It might sound silly since you’re only going 5 mph, but car parks have some of the largest safety hazards. Look out for safe cars and also watch out for pedestrians that aren’t paying attention to their surroundings which can cause safety issues when riding through car parks.

Car parks tend to have safety problems such as lack of safety signs, slippery ground, reduced speed limits, etc… Try staying away from crowded car parks because safety is an issue in crowded areas and it’s important to avoid safety issues when on a motorcycle.

Avoid Riding In The Rain

Riding in the rain can be very dangerous especially if you don’t own a safety motorcycle. Riding safety bikes means that they are built to handle safety hazards such as wet or slippery roads. If you’re not safety-minded then it’s important to avoid riding in the rain because safety issues can occur without your knowledge.

If possible try avoiding riding on wet/slippery roads, though if you have to then make sure that safety is your number 1 priority while being out on the road! Even experienced bikers should think twice before riding in rainy weather…

And if it’s snowing outside, don’t even think about riding!

Conclusion

If you’re safety-minded and careful, then there’s no reason why riding a motorcycle should be dangerous. In fact, it can even be enjoyable! We all try to avoid having a motorcycle crash, but ultimately it’s about being prepared for the unprepared.

However, safety is still an issue for bikers which is why we’ve compiled this list of 10 safety tips to make sure your bike ride goes smoothly from start to finish. Follow these safety guidelines and always pay attention to the road so that your riding isn’t just fun but safe too!

About The Author

daniel and sarah on motorcycle

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