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Be Careful out There....

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Be careful is an understatement. This is a dangerous hobby no doubt. Scary how fast things can go south.

By their stats, a helmet and ABS can lower risk of fatality by 68%. Still, not very good odds.
 
Some years back, I read a book that bluntly laid out motorcycle accident stats: % involving novice riders, % involving alcohol, % involving squidish behavior, etc. Needless to say, some of the stats were overlapping. The clear message was that if you survive your first year of riding, stay sober, and don't engage in behavior that belongs at the track or other closed course, your odds of surviving and even remaining accident free become massively better. And of course, there were the fatality stats, which included all the above plus helmet & gear.

Only thing is those stats are 25 or more years old now. I'm wondering if somebody has something a little more contemporary.
 
A good time to review tips to keep you alive?

Two of my favorite.
Your shadow always points at people that can't see you in the sun.
Always, always assume they're trying to kill you until they prove otherwise (e.g. left turners, lane changers, etc.)
 
Hmmm? 90% of fatalities are male. Maybe there is some merit to this transgender thing??
 
Thanks Tshelfer, for bringing up the safety subject. I'm not overly concerned with the statistics of stayin' alive; I'm just trying to stay alive myself. I think any of us that have been riding for years thinks about how to keep riding and not become one of the stats of the dead or maimed. Maybe a thread could be established about riding to live... literally. I suffer from separation anxiety myself; that is, I realized that almost all accidents occur when bikes come into close proximity with other vehicles and/or animals. Therefore I'm anxious to separate myself from close encounters with other objects. Lepers are trained in a discipline called "VSE" (visual surveillance of extremities) because they can't feel injuries to their hands and feet and have a huge risk or debilitating or fatal infections resulting from unrecognized injuries. I've adopted a form of VSE that involves constant scanning of conditions around me and regular checking of rear-view mirrors (particularly in urban, congested traffic). Combining that with whatever separation I can get from other vehicles (just a few feet or inches can make all the difference); I also have a "butterfly floating" philosophy, in which the rider stays as far as feasible from "obstacles", while scanning for unseen, upcoming "problems" and "floating in the lane" in order to give myself maximum reaction time in emergency situations. I also try and run just slightly faster than the flow of traffic so as to keep "everything" in front of me, where less time is involved in checking mirrors and more time on upcoming road hazards. I could go on and on... (maybe already have).
Anyway, I apologize for jumping the thread, but I would also like to hear how other riders stay upright and healthy riding under the varied conditions we all face. Also, has there been a thread for motorcycle books? I would love to expand my library and knowledge of motorcycling writers. There's some obvious choices - "Zen and the Art of...", The Perfect Vehicle, Jupiter's Travels, Investment Biker, etc. Just finished a good book "The Longrider", but there's a whole bunch, I'm thinking, that some of you guys have read that the rest of us haven't gotten to. Bahnstorming, the story of BMW, by L. K. Setright is a good one, although dated at this point (and hard to get).
Anyway, it looks like the rain has let up; I'm gonna go practice my VSE for a while....
 
We've had similar tip threads before, but if they just don't come to mind, better to write/see them again in a different context until firmly etched in the gray matter. Better than a Chevy Silverado bumper etched in the gray matter.
 
Tracker said:
A good time to review tips to keep you alive?

Two of my favorite.
Your shadow always points at people that can't see you in the sun.
Always, always assume they're trying to kill you until they prove otherwise (e.g. left turners, lane changers, etc.)
Click to expand...

That second one is new to me, and obviously good advice. Thanks, Tracker.
 
My philosophy is ride like you're invisible! Nobody sees you :)
 
wanabeguru said:
"but officer, I DIDN'T SEE HIM".
Click to expand...

And most of the time he/she is not lying; you don't see what you're not looking for and bikes are too small to pose much of a threat, ergo . . . . .

I wonder if anyone ever said "But Officer, I didn't see that Semi bearing down on me!"


Constant bearing, decreasing range = Collision Imminent.
 
garfey said:
And most of the time he/she is not lying; you don't see what you're not looking for and bikes are too small to pose much of a threat, ergo . . . . .

I wonder if anyone ever said "But Officer, I didn't see that Semi bearing down on me!"


Constant bearing, decreasing range = Collision Imminent.
Click to expand...

My response was tongue-in-cheek as the PO said ride like you're invisible. My bike and gear are red in the hopes of being SEEN more easily. 'nuff said:rider:
 
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