As a motorcyclist, you are always responsible for your own road safety. Keep in mind that lack of experience makes it easy to make mistakes. You cannot buy experience, but a simple and effective aid is always to think eight seconds ahead in your riding, to have time to correct your path and thereby avoid dangers. Jesper Christensen from Swedish motorcyclists’ association SMC gives us eight good tips to become a thinking and safe motorcyclist:

1. Maintain the right speed adapted to the conditions and your riding skills
High speed places demands on your riding skills, gives shorter reaction time, and increases the risk of serious accidents. Always think eight seconds ahead to adjust your speed and have time to react to changes in the road or traffic. As a general rule, avoid exceeding speed limits. Controlled acceleration and planned riding help you maintain control and avoid risks.

2. Learn and practice braking technique
Not being able to stop quickly enough can lead to serious accidents, even at low speed. Remember that you must be able to brake to a stop if, for example, another vehicle suddenly pulls out in front of you, or if you need to reduce your speed and swerve. By thinking ahead and keeping an eight-second margin, you give yourself time to anticipate what may happen. ABS helps you brake more safely, especially in unexpected situations. Practice braking technique frequently.

3. Learn cornering technique and then practice diligently
Poor cornering technique can lead to serious accidents, even at low speed when the road curves. Practice maintaining a correct, oncoming-traffic-free line through corners and reduce your speed before entering them. Remember: slow into the corner allows you to come out safer and faster. By thinking ahead and keeping an 8-second margin, you give yourself time to correct and maintain control throughout the entire corner. Practice braking and cornering technique.

4. Lack of traffic understanding and risk awareness
Learn to read traffic and detect warning signs. Many accidents occur because the rider does not anticipate how other road users behave. By thinking ahead, you can better foresee dangers and decide not to take chances. Always consider what may happen along your route eight seconds ahead!

5. Experience and insurance
Even experienced motorcyclists must gain new experience when riding a different motorcycle. Almost one third of those who died had owned the motorcycle for less than 45 days. Analyses show that it can take up to two years to reduce the ‘new on the bike’ risk. Insurance provides financial protection and a professional assessment of which risk group you are considered to belong to. Keep in mind that even if you feel confident, you must practice and learn your new motorcycle.

6. License, alcohol and drugs
Obtain a motorcycle license and valid motorcycle insurance. Training provides the basics for safe riding and fundamental knowledge to assess risks. It goes without saying that neither alcohol nor drugs are good. Do not lend your motorcycle to a friend without a license, or to someone under the influence.

7. Do not ride if you are upset or distracted by peer pressure
Problems in life can affect your focus. Think ahead and be aware that you need to be mentally present to ride safely. Never ride beyond your own ability and do not let others pressure you into risks. Your group of friends can tempt you to ride faster or take chances, but always think eight seconds ahead and stay within your limits. If your riding makes you scared, you are riding beyond your abilities.

8. Safety equipment is your best friend in traffic
A closed, approved helmet and protective gear can save lives and reduce injuries in an accident. Even if you do everything right, accidents can happen, and then the right equipment is your best protection. Also consider the safety systems on your motorcycle, such as ABS, traction control, etc. Make sure all systems are activated when riding in traffic where they are designed to provide safer riding.

‘The two absolutely dominant types of motorcycle accidents are collisions between cars and motorcycles, and single-vehicle accidents where the motorcycle crashes in curves.’

SMC believes that the eight-second rule could have prevented nearly 7 out of 10 accidents. Eight seconds means that at 50 km/h you have 111 meters to change your speed and direction. At 70 km/h you have 155 meters, and at 100 km/h you have 222 meters. Keep in mind that, conversely, you need 4.4 seconds to stop if your speed is 110 km/h. Do you think you can brake that well when a moose suddenly stands in front of you?

Remember that riding a motorcycle is not dangerous if you do everything right. But it will probably never be completely risk-free. Feel free to use the advice and experience above so that you can fully enjoy riding your motorcycle.

Every fatal accident in Swedish traffic is investigated by the Swedish Transport Administration in what is known as an in-depth study. The purpose is to determine what caused the accident and whether there is anything that can prevent similar accidents from happening in the future. The Swedish motorcyclists’ association SMC meets with the Swedish Transport Administration every year to review the in-depth studies of fatal accidents involving two-wheeled motorcycles. This is a very important collaboration, as fatal accidents form the basis of Swedish road safety work.

The Swedish Transport Administration and SMC discuss various proposals for improvements in infrastructure and regulations, with the aim of preventing new accidents. At the same time, SMC uses this knowledge to create information for motorcyclists, authorities, politicians, and others who may benefit from it. A very important part is, of course, to improve the courses in SMC School.

Also in the international work that SMC is part of, we collect similar information and statistics. The motorcycle industry is also a source of statistics and knowledge; for example, the data used in the Connected Motorcycle Consortium is a very extensive accident database, which forms the basis for developing digital safety systems. This could, for example, mean that cars in the future will not be able to turn in front of an oncoming motorcycle!

Swedish data shows around thirty fatal accidents annually involving two-wheeled motorcycles. A typical year may look like this: half died in collisions with another vehicle, four with wildlife, and nine in single-vehicle accidents where the motorcyclist was killed. What the single-vehicle accidents had in common was that almost all occurred when the road curved. Six did not have a valid motorcycle license at the time of the accident. Five people were riding under the influence of alcohol and the same number for drugs, meaning that a total of ten people were riding under the influence. By far the main reason for the accidents was that the speed was so high that, in relation to the rider’s riding skills, there was no possibility to avoid the accident.

Common to all accidents is that several mistakes are made; for example, being new on the bike and not having tested turning or braking with it, while at the same time entering a curve too fast and encountering oncoming traffic. On average, SMC’s analysis shows that there were about four errors in each accident, all contributing to the outcome.

FIM’s Mobility Commission, with international experts, has worked with SMC on analysing data with the goal of producing the recommendations for motorcyclists you can read in this article.

Written by Jesper Christensen

Top photograph courtesy of SMC

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