Today, I have a steel rod in my femur bone from a motorcycle accident, and I am reminded of the famous saying that motorcyclists often cite “there are those who have been down, and those who will.” And what that means is there are those who have been in motorcycle accidents, and those that will in the future, and those are the only two types of motorcycle riders, and there is not a third type.
When you are young and restless, you think it can’t happen to you, and those who are very careful on motorcycles also sometimes feel that they are safe, or immune from accidents. Don’t kid yourself. Nevertheless, if you want to survive an accident, or prevent most of them from happening to you, then you need to be 100% into motorcycle riding safety – and you should probably read up on this topic, as well as practice the safety skills which you learn.
Indeed, to help you with this, there’s a very good booklet that I would like to recommend to you, and it is one that sits on my bookshelf at home, even though currently I do not own a motorcycle. The name of the booklet is;
“Motorcycle Rider Course – Reading and Street Skills” (student work book), by the MSF Motorcycle Safety Foundation, (2000) Eighteenth Printing.
As you can see since this booklet has been printed for 18 years straight, it is obviously a much needed book. Luckily, it is very easy to read, and it is broken into chapters which discuss the joy of motorcycle riding, preventive maintenance, and controlling a motorcycle. There are also chapters on attitude and being in the proper state of mind, along with the reasoning behind wearing helmets, leather jackets, and other safety gear.
There is also information on inspecting your motorcycle and I believe this is important just as if you were preflight an airplane. Many injuries happen when a motorcycle is barely moving, or is sitting still. There is a right way and wrong way to get onto a motorcycle and to dismount. It’s even more critical when taking passengers. In this booklet you learn about turning, stopping, shifting, visibility, street strategies, and more advanced maneuvering.
There are also warnings about alcohol and drug use and proper etiquette around other motorcycle riders. This section I think everyone should read is the one about special writing situations, such as carrying cargo, passengers, riding on black ice, or in windy or rainy conditions. Trust me, if you ride a motorcycle you need to pay attention to stay alive. Please consider all this.
