Riding a motorcycle can be dangerous and that is the cold, hard truth. Their only saving grace is that avoiding an accident on a motorcycle is a lot easier than avoiding a car accident. Many common motorcycle accidents happen countless times on roads across the globe, daily. Here are 5 of the most common motorcycle accidents and tips on how you can do your best to avoid them.
1. Hitting Gravel On A Corner
One moment you’re out on the open road, enjoying the ride when, out of nowhere and without warning, you come round a corner and hit a patch of gravel or sand and you wipe out. As a motorcyclist, you will soon learn to avoid these kinds of motorcycle accidents by not hitting sand or gravel patches by riding at a pace that you can react quickly enough to. There is a saying that goes, “slow in, fast out” which is self-explanatory and highly pertinent.
2. Cornering Too Fast
Only ever ride as fast as you have clear visuals of the road, especially if you’re riding on one of the world’s craziest roads. Learn to look for visual clues along the road like telephone or electricity poles to judge the direction of the road. If you do find yourself careening down a road too quickly, don’t hit the brakes too hard – just ride it out. All that pumping the brakes will do is result in more traction, which is problematic.
3. You Get Rear-Ended
One of the most inconvenient and annoying accidents is being rear-ended by a car, unfortunately, at high speed; it can also be one of the most dangerous accidents. Learn to use cars as protection, when you pull up to a multi-car intersection you should pull in front of a car that is stationary. That way you’ll be cushioned from any subsequent impacts if there happens to be a pile-up from the back.
4. An Open Car Door
You might think you’ve just spotted a gap in traffic between a long line of parked vehicles and active traffic, so you take the opportunity but are slammed by a car door! The only way to avoid this kind of accident is to never ride between active and passive cars. This kind of accident doesn’t only affect motorcyclists but regular cyclists too. If you can’t avoid being in this situation then learn to ride slowly and brake hard if you need to.
5. A Car Turning In Front Of You
As frustrating as this is, it is one of the most common motorcycle accidents. Usually, it is because the driver of the vehicle either doesn’t see you or misjudges your speed. The next thing you know you are sliding across the road or being thrown over their vehicle. Sometimes the driver of the car is distracted or you’re in their blind spot, the only way to prevent this kind of accident is to learn to see it coming. Motorcyclists learn to look for warning signs that a vehicle may turn in front of them and instinctively slow down.
