Motorcycle Safety refresher

Way back, at the beginning of the blog, I mentioned motorcycle safety.  Really, what that post was for was to outline my personal views on protective equipment.  There is another, critical, piece to motorcycle safety, and that has everything to do with how one rides a motorcycle.  You can learn everything there is to know about the mechanical aspects of riding a bike, but if you ride like an asshole, then all that knowledge is for absolute squat when it comes to keeping yourself safe from an accident ("Look Ma!  No hands!"  *Splat*).

1) Constantly be aware of your surroundings.  Sounds simple enough, but, in reality, this is no small feat.  Basically, you have to be continuously looking out for dangers on, or near, the roadway.  Is there anything that could possibly lead to an accident?  Is that car ahead going to suddenly pull into my lane because he's riding the divider?  Are those kids playing in their yard staying put, or could they be a hazzard?  Long story short, keep your eyes and head alert for any possible problems.

2) Focus on riding.  Again, sounds simple, but this, more than anything else, really is the basis of really good riding.  It also makes riding that much more fun.  For me, this means putting everything that has happened at work, in your personal life, every little stressor that has decided to pile on top of your shoulders, out of your head.  You need to drop it all beside the bike like so much garbage and focus just on riding and keeping alert(as per #1).  When you are focused on riding your bike, and you've let all the bad slough off like so much dead weight, riding becomes the ultimate stress release.

3) Ride Defensively.  Given everything above, riding defensively, taking your time, making sure that your focus is on riding safely, means that you will get to your destination alive, and in one piece.  Granted, there are honest-to-God accidents.  These things happen.  But by making sure that you are safe (because no one else out on the road is going to look out for you), riding is safer than driving (once I find the stats again, I will edit this to add the link, but, percentage wise, there are fewer motorcycle accidents than automobile accidents.  I like doing research).

Why am I bringing this back up?  Well, I told my mother about getting my motorcycle and she was very worried.  I want to let her know that I'm not the kind of rider who, willy-nilly, rides through traffic, splitting lanes, and basically making an ass out of myself.  I follow the idea of "All the Gear, all the time" (even in 91 degree heat), and I stay off the highways (friggin' uncomfortable, and more trouble than they're worth, trying to keep track of all the other vehicles).

Keep it safe out there!