Unfortunately, there are approximately 6 million car accidents per year. However, not all these car accidents involve conventional vehicles.
Many accidents occur where a vehicle strikes someone on a motorcycle. Although motorcycles provide a sense of freedom that is hard to capture elsewhere, there are certain tips you need to keep in mind in order to stay safe on the road.
Let’s take a look at everything first time motorcycle owners need to know.
- Always Wear Protective Gear
It should come as no surprise that you should always wear protective gear while you ride. In fact, failure to do so could easily result in severe injury.
Even at low speeds, impact with another vehicle, falling off of your bike, etc. can result in lifelong complications.
In terms of protective gear, you should always ensure that your entire body is covered. Wearing a helmet is also crucial.
Although it may be exhilarating to ride without a helmet, it’s never recommended to do so. Virtually every surface around you while riding a motorcycle is something that can cause severe brain damage or death.
You should also ensure that your protective gear fits appropriately. Otherwise, it may not be able to perform its role suitably.
- Check the Weather Before You Ride
A large number of motorcycle accidents could be prevented by not riding during inclement weather conditions. If the roads are wet or icy, it’s highly recommended that you do not take your motorcycle out.
Of course, you should also avoid riding while it’s snowing or raining.
To help accommodate this requirement, get in the habit of checking the weather shortly before every ride. You should also consider how long your ride is and how the weather may change during your trip.
The situation you want to avoid at all costs is getting caught in bad weather while you are on the road.
- Don’t Brake During a Turn
Interestingly, many new motorcycle riders tend to hit the brakes while they are turning. This is often due to the fact that they feel nervous or scared while leaning into the turn.
However, braking during a turn is something that could easily have adverse consequences. Primarily, you run the risk of your bike falling on top of you.
As you lose momentum, you won’t be able to keep your balance as easily. Under the right circumstances, you could find yourself pinned under the vehicle, as well.
To make matters worse, you won’t be able to get out of the way if the drivers behind you don’t happen to notice you falling.
- Always Assume Drivers Don’t See You
A great rule of thumb to keep in mind is that drivers may simply not see you despite how visible you are. To help stay in safe locations on the road, assume that no cars have mirrors.
This means that drivers would only be able to see in front of them.
More often than not, drivers aren’t able to see people on motorcycles simply because they are not used to recognizing vehicles of that size. Conventional drivers often look for large, colorful objects while on the road so that they can avoid hitting other vehicles.
So, they may not register that a motorcycle is approaching and inadvertently pull out in front of them.
Not all accidents result in injury. Some simply result in extensive property damage. Looking for comprehensive motorcycle insurance? You can check out this resource for more information.
- Protect Your Eyes
If something happens to your eyes while you are riding, it can be virtually impossible to get off of the road safely. So, it’s imperative that you fully protect your eyes at all costs.
Ideally, you would wear a helmet with a visor and keep the visor closed at all times. At the very least, you should wear sunglasses to help prevent debris from striking your eyes.
Even a small insect could cause a significant amount of damage at high speeds. As previously mentioned, you will also have great difficulty safely navigating off of the road in order to recover.
- Don’t Speed
Speeding on a motorcycle is never recommended. It’s especially inadvisable for new motorcycle riders.
Inexperienced riders won’t be able to handle the intensity of higher speeds at first. Although they may be fairly comfortable at conventional speeds, going too fast could easily cause an accident.
During the early stages of riding, you also may want to stay off the highway. This is a completely different beast in terms of what you need to manage as a motorcycle rider.
Not only does everything happen at a much faster pace, but the consequences of making a mistake are much direr.
- Stay Familiar With Your Bike
Staying fully familiar with the bike is imperative when it comes to staying safe on the road. This means that you need to know exactly what your bike is capable of and how to properly operate it.
Otherwise, you simply won’t know how to ride a motorcycle.
The early stages will be the most difficult. After you get a feel for the vehicle, you’ll be able to easily understand how everything works.
First Time Motorcycle Riding Can Be Exhilarating
The above information will help ensure that you stay as safe as possible. From here, first time motorcycle owners will be able to ensure that they don’t encounter issues in the future.
