Riding a motorcycle is definitely a fun activity and millions of people all around the world are exploring the motorcycling lifestyle! But the inherent design of a two-wheeler makes it very important for the rider to be conscious and careful about staying safe. Instead of putting yourself in the harm’s way, as a safe motorcycle rider you should always be looking for ways to mitigate the risks of being involved in a two-wheeler accident. With that in mind, here are five proven safety tips that will definitely come handy. So, let's get started.
Stay within your comfort zone
One of the most common reasons that lead to motorcycle accidents is because people push beyond their comfort zones and boundaries off skill levels. If you find yourself pushing beyond what you are comfortable with, slow down and prioritize safety over everything else. getting triggered by someone else is aggressive maneuver on the road is the last thing you want because that is a sure-shot way of getting into trouble! If you are planning a long-distance road trip, plan the journey in such a way that you do not have to push yourself to meet the destination goals. Once you start pushing the boundaries, errors and omissions are bound to happen. The same goes for planning our day-to-day office commutes. Give yourself enough time to recent destination without having to rush especially at a time when everybody else on the road is also rushing to their destinations- that is when accidents happen.
Be prepared to compensate for other’s mistakes
Give yourself the upper hand with all the necessary motorcycle riding accessories and gears including a branded premium full-face helmet designed by the best helmet manufacturers in India along with other riding gears, so that even if a mishap occurs, your injuries do not become too substantial. Instead of relying on others to protect you from your own mistakes, be in a position that allows you to compensate for mistakes made by others. Quite a lot of accidents can be avoided If we all allowed for a margin of error for other riders sharing the road with us.
Be emotion-less
Anger anxiety and stress are killers, but when you are riding a motorcycle with these emotions in mind they can really kill you! Whenever you find yourself riding a motorcycle, or any other vehicle for that matter, make sure to put all emotions out of your mind and focus on staying safe and keeping others on the road safe as well. If your mental state does not allow you to be focused on the primary task at hand, recognize it and take a cab home. If that does not seem to be a viable option, consider waiting for 10 to 15 minutes to change your frame of mind. Meditating, deep breathing exercises, change in the scenario are a few practical solutions which might help you foster a positive mindset.
Learn to be situationally aware
while riding a motorcycle, be always present in the moment and have high situational awareness. Although modern branded premium helmets come with Bluetooth connectivity, those are meant to take calls on the go- and not for listening to music at a loud volume. Doing that might impede your situational awareness and prevent hearing to the road noises behind you and you may suddenly find yourself in front of a speeding vehicle! Many riders in India, and other Southeast Asian countries remove the rear-view mirrors in order to filter through narrow gaps in the traffic, which is a dangerous decision because that forces you to make maneuvers without checking for traffic behind and that can quickly escalate into a dangerous situation. Model motorcycles also come with highly functional dashboards that show a lot of information and have a lot of tell-tale lights which can be very distracting especially while riding under artificial lighting conditions. If the configuration of your motorcycle allows, reduce the brightness of the lights so that it does not take away your focus on being situationally aware and keep an eye on the evolving traffic situation.
Learn when to say ‘no’ to yourself
learn when to say no to yourself. By that we mean knowing when to leave the motorcycle back home and taking a cab. If the weather conditions are inclement, and you are not too confident of riding the motorcycle in event, or severely cold condition, it might be a safer decision to take a cab or hike a ride instead of risking the challenges beyond your comfort levels. After a party, if you had too much fun and you can't decide whether you should ride or drive it definitely means that you cannot do it! Say NO to the overconfident little voice in the back of your mind that provokes you to make the wrong decision and take a cab home.