THE MOTORCYCLE SAFETY DEBATE WILL NEVER END

Jeez.  If you ride a bike for fun, why spend too much time thinking about safety?  Especially, if one is a competent and safe rider who has tens of thousands of incident-free miles to prove it. 

Right?

The motorcycle safety debate will never end. 

“I’M A GOOD RIDER”

Although there are variations of viewpoints on the matter, generally they can be encompassed by two ends of one spectrum:

1. “I’m a good rider.  I won’t crash.” (Hence, motorcycle safety concerns are less relevant).
2. “I’m a good rider.  But I don’t know about every other driver on the road.”  (In other words, any ride, on any day, has the potential to result in crash).

ANOTHER VIEWPOINT ON 2 KINDS OF RIDERS

There’s also another viewpoint about two kinds of riders: “Those that have gone down, and those that will.”

Although, personally, I’m a rider who has gone down dramatically more than once, I don’t believe that it’s inevitable that every rider will bite the pavement.

So, where do you fall in the debate?  Well, regardless of what you may think or say, the true answer is reflected in what you wear when you ride. 

MOTORCYCLE SAFETY GEAR

So, if you believe you are a “safety-conscious rider,” next time you get ready to jump on your bike, take a quick inventory of what you are wearing relative to this safety-gear checklist.

• FULL-FACE HELMET?
• Full Motorcycle GLOVES?  (Not half gloves).
• Good Motorcycle BOOTS?
• MOTORCYCLE JACKET with armor?
• Motorcycle PANTS or CHAPS? (ideally, with ARMOR)

Many riders who SAY they practice motorcycle safety, cannot say “Yes” to each item on the checklist.

Riders crash every day.  Too many bikers get killed – every day.  And yet it seems to be an innate concept amongst humans that “It won’t happen to me.”  Which means every rider who crashes is thinking the same thing: “It won’t happen to me.”

The good new is that some riders will probably be right: “It won’t happen to them.”  So, for those “some” that are right (so far) about carrying forward the torch of motorcycle un-safety: carry on!

RIDE SAFELY WITH PROTECTIVE GEAR!

But for the rest of us, a little reflection on how to improve one’s ability to enjoy riding as long as possible includes:

• Wearing protective gear
• Increasing one’s riding skills (study, training, practice)
• Gaining lots of riding experience!  (Ideally, while developing good riding habits)

Ride safely!

COMPARE MOTORCYCLE SAFETY APPAREL

Click for PROTECTIVE GEAR