Motorcycling is a unique experience. Compared to a car, you don’t sit in a motorcycle, you become part of it. Not as a passive driver, but as an active rider arcing into a string of smooth corners, playing along with the rhythm of the road; shifting, accelerating, and braking with precision. Whether you ride to and from work or prefer the camaraderie of a group ride on the weekend, motorcycling engages all your senses and creates an invigorating sense of freedom.
Along with that freedom comes responsibility. All states require some form of license endorsement demonstrating you possess a minimum level of skill and knowledge. This booklet and other motorcycle publications can help prepare you to be successful. You might also consider taking a formal hands-on training course, even if your state doesn’t require that you complete one. You’ll learn how to improve your riding skills and mental strategies, so you can be a safer, more alert rider.
The diagram above illustrates the complex environment that awaits
RIDING ENVIRONMENT
you, and supports the concept that, as the Motorcycle Safety Foundation says, “Safe riding depends as much on the mental skills of awareness and judgment as it does on a physical skill of maneuvering the machine.”
Successfully piloting a motorcycle is a much more involved task than driving a car. Motorcycling requires a fne sense of balance and a heightened sense of awareness and position amidst other roadway users. A motorcycle responds more quickly to rider inputs than a car, but is also more sensitive to outside forces, like irregular road surfaces or crosswinds. A motorcycle is also less visible than a car due to its narrower profle, and offers far less protection by exposing its rider to other traffc and the elements. All these risks can be managed through study, training, and practice.
PREPARING TO RIDE 2
What you do before you start a trip goes a long way toward determining whether or not you’ll get where you want to go safely. Before taking off on any trip, a safe rider makes a point to:
1� Wear the right gear�
2� Become familiar with the motorcycle� 3� Check the motorcycle equipment� 4� Be a responsible rider�
WEAR THE RIGHT GEAR
When you ride, your gear is “right” if it protects you. In any crash, you have a far better chance of avoiding serious injury if you wear:
• A DOT-compliant helmet�
• Face or eye protection�
• Protective clothing� Helmet Use
Crashes can occur — particularly among untrained, beginning riders. And one out of every fve motorcycle crashes results in head or neck injuries. Head injuries are just as severe as neck injuries — and far more common. Crash analyses show that head and neck injuries account for a majority of serious and fatal injuries to motorcyclists. Research also shows that, with few exceptions, head and neck injuries are reduced by properly wearing a quality helmet.
Some riders don’t wear helmets because they think helmets will limit their view to the sides. Others wear helmets only on long trips or when riding at high speeds. But, here are some facts to consider:
• A DOT-compliant helmet lets you see as far to the sides as necessary. A study of more than 900 motorcycle crashes, where 40% of the riders wore helmets, did not fnd even one case in which
a helmet kept a rider from spotting danger.
• Most crashes happen on short trips (less than fve miles long), just a few minutes after starting out.
• Most riders are riding slower than 30 mph when a crash occurs. At these speeds, helmets can cut both the number and the severity of head injuries by half.
No matter what the speed, helmeted riders are three times more likely to survive head injuries than those not wearing helmets at the time of the crash. The single most important thing you can do to improve your chances of surviving a crash is to wear a securely- fastened, quality helmet.
Helmet Selection
There are two primary types of helmets, providing two different levels of coverage: three-quarter and full face.
Whichever style you choose, you can get the most protection by making sure that the helmet:
• Is designed to meet U�S� Department of Transportation (DOT) and state standards. Helmets with a label from the Snell Memorial Foundation also give you an assurance of quality.
• Fits snugly, all the way around.
• Has no obvious defects such as cracks, loose padding or frayed straps. THE RIDER AND THE
MOTORCYCLE
Motorcycling is a unique experience. Compared to a car, you don’t sit in a motorcycle, you become part of it. Not as a passive driver, but as an active rider arcing into a string of smooth corners, playing along with the rhythm of the road; shifting, accelerating, and braking with precision. Whether you ride to and from work or prefer the camaraderie of a group ride on the weekend, motorcycling engages all your senses and creates an invigorating sense of freedom.
Along with that freedom comes responsibility. All states require some form of license endorsement demonstrating you possess a minimum level of skill and knowledge. This booklet and other motorcycle publications can help prepare you to be successful. You might also consider taking a formal hands-on training course, even if your state doesn’t require that you complete one. You’ll learn how to improve your riding skills and mental strategies, so you can be a safer, more alert rider.
The diagram above illustrates the complex environment that awaits
RIDING ENVIRONMENT
you, and supports the concept that, as the Motorcycle Safety Foundation says, “Safe riding depends as much on the mental skills of awareness and judgment as it does on a physical skill of maneuvering the machine.”
Successfully piloting a motorcycle is a much more involved task than driving a car. Motorcycling requires a fne sense of balance and a heightened sense of awareness and position amidst other roadway users. A motorcycle responds more quickly to rider inputs than a car, but is also more sensitive to outside forces, like irregular road surfaces or crosswinds. A motorcycle is also less visible than a car due to its narrower profle, and offers far less protection by exposing its rider to other traffc and the elements. All these risks can be managed through study, training, and practice.
PREPARING TO RIDE 2
What you do before you start a trip goes a long way toward determining whether or not you’ll get where you want to go safely. Before taking off on any trip, a safe rider makes a point to:
1� Wear the right gear�
2� Become familiar with the motorcycle� 3� Check the motorcycle equipment� 4� Be a responsible rider�
WEAR THE RIGHT GEAR
When you ride, your gear is “right” if it protects you. In any crash, you have a far better chance of avoiding serious injury if you wear:
• A DOT-compliant helmet�
• Face or eye protection�
• Protective clothing� Helmet Use
Crashes can occur — particularly among untrained, beginning riders. And one out of every fve motorcycle crashes results in head or neck injuries. Head injuries are just as severe as neck injuries — and far more common. Crash analyses show that head and neck injuries account for a majority of serious and fatal injuries to motorcyclists. Research also shows that, with few exceptions, head and neck injuries are reduced by properly wearing a quality helmet.
Some riders don’t wear helmets because they think helmets will limit their view to the sides. Others wear helmets only on long trips or when riding at high speeds. But, here are some facts to consider:
• A DOT-compliant helmet lets you see as far to the sides as necessary. A study of more than 900 motorcycle crashes, where 40% of the riders wore helmets, did not fnd even one case in which
a helmet kept a rider from spotting danger.
• Most crashes happen on short trips (less than fve miles long), just a few minutes after starting out.
• Most riders are riding slower than 30 mph when a crash occurs. At these speeds, helmets can cut both the number and the severity of head injuries by half.
No matter what the speed, helmeted riders are three times more likely to survive head injuries than those not wearing helmets at the time of the crash. The single most important thing you can do to improve your chances of surviving a crash is to wear a securely- fastened, quality helmet.
Helmet Selection
There are two primary types of helmets, providing two different levels of coverage: three-quarter and full face.
Whichever style you choose, you can get the most protection by making sure that the helmet:
• Is designed to meet U�S� Department of Transportation (DOT) and state standards. Helmets with a label from the Snell Memorial Foundation also give you an assurance of quality.
• Fits snugly, all the way around.
• Has no obvious defects such as cracks, loose padding or frayed straps.