Motorcycle Safety

The most common motorcycle accident happens when a larger vehicle violates your right of way. The most common version of this happens when you reach an intersection and a passenger vehicle turns left in front of you. Following are seven simple motorcycle safety tips to help you to avoid the most common causes of motorcycle accidents.

• Motorcycle Safety Tip #1: 
  Always watch at least 12 seconds ahead of your motorcycle. You should be looking left to right and up and down. The quicker you see a possible problem, the more time you'll have to react.
• Motorcycle Safety Tip #2:
 
When approaching an intersection slow down long before it. Make sure both your front and rear brakes are covered as you get closer to the intersection. 
• Motorcycle Safety Tip #3:
 
Cover both your front and rear brakes as you get closer to the intersection. This way you will brake evenly instead of one hand reacting and pulling one brake ahead of the other.
• Motorcycle Safety Tip #4: 
Move your motorcycle to the left side of your lane. By doing this , if you are going to have to move your bike quickly around a vehicle turning, you will have a less severe movement around the rear of the oncoming vehicle. 
• Motorcycle Safety Tip #5:
 
Practice emergency braking using both brakes. The average rider doesn't practice braking. Due to inexperience with using both brakes, most riders will compress the rear brake. This locks the tire and the bike skids either right into the vehicle or lays down. By spending a few minutes each week working with your emergency braking, you will drastically decrease the chance of rear wheel locking in an emergency.
• Motorcycle Safety Tip #6:
 
Keep your motorcycle well maintained. Check the state of your brakes regularly. A worn brake system is almost a guarantee of a motorcycle accident.
• Motorcycle Safety Tip #7:
 
This tip is the most important motorcycle safety tip any motorcycle operator can follow is to take any available motorcycle safety courses available. Check your local Department of Motor Vehicles for recommended classes offered.

By using these seven motorcycle safety tips, you will avoid the majority of intersection motorcycle accidents. You can't rely on the other vehicles to not violate your right of way. With practice braking, a keen eye, lower speed, and most importantly – educating yourself, avoiding the collisions can become second nature.