I received a lot of feedback from last week's video describing my motorcycle crash some 9 years ago. If you haven't watched that video yet, go back and watch it before this one. Since I got so much response from last weeks video I decided to carry that conversation a little further and look at some things that we can all do to avoid a similar situation.
So, as we discovered last week there is rarely a single cause for a motorcycle accident. There are usually a lot of things that come together, they all meet at a certain point in the road and a wreck results from the many influences. Some of those influences for the wreck are under our control and some are not. I believe that in most accidents if we look honestly at the many causes we can find many more under our control than not.
So who was a fault in the accident we talked about last week? Some would say legally I was because my motorcycle was behind the vehicle that cut me off and some would say the car was because they crossed a solid white line and cut me off in traffic.
I want to look at it from a different perspective. To me it doesn't matter who was at fault, because I paid the price. The car driver stopped to render aid but at the end of the accident they got back in their car to drive home and I got in the back of an ambulance and went to the hospital. It does not matter who is at fault, we as motorcyclists will always pay the price.
That is why when I look at the accident I always look at it from the perspective of what I could have done to avoid the accident. I now try to ride in a manner to not allow the mistakes of others on the road to affect me. That’s the only thing I have control over and the only thing I can actually do to try and avoid a similar situation.
There is a lot under our control as riders to keep us out of bad situations. I am not simply riding down the road hoping the thousands of of car drivers around me don’t make a mistake. I am taking an active role in getting to my destination in one piece.
Last week we looked at the specifics of my accident. This week let’s brake those specific causes down in to three different categories.
Perception – Reaction – Braking
Perception is our ability to be aware of our surroundings and many times see danger zones before they actually happen.
My perception in my accident was hurt by what I was thinking about just before the accident. As I described last week I was thinking about what would happen once I got home. I was not riding in the present aware of my surroundings.
Also my reaction contributed to the accident. I told you last week that I grabbed a hand full of front brake immediately causing the front tire to lock up. It was a reaction, it was not something I consciously did.
So if our reaction is to grab the front brake to get the motorcycle to stop, how do we ever overcome that reaction? Training
If you ride a motorcycle and you do not practice emergency braking you are very likely to lock the front brake up just like I did. Our normal reaction to perceived threat is to stop and stop quickly.
ABS on a motorcycle is a HUGE benefit in situations like this. ABS keep the tires from locking up, all the rider has to do is keep the motorcycle and the handlebars square and jam on the brakes. The motorcycle does the rest.
Braking is the distance it takes the motorcycle to stop once we begin applying the brakes. Proper emergency braking takes practice. The problem with that is the act of practicing emergency braking can also be dangerous. That’s why I encourage riders to practice emergency braking a slower speeds, no more than 15 MPH to begin and no more than 30MPH at other times. It also a good idea to have someone with you when you practice.
If you want more information on emergency braking and how I practice watch the MCrider playlist on our YouTube page “Motorcycle Braking Tips & Techniques”.
