What Are Some Bad Motorcycle Riding Habits That Need Immediate Change?

Every day more than 1,000 motorcyclists are killed on roads. While riding a motorcycle is one of the most liberating and breath-taking modes of transportation, it’s also potentially hazardous. If you’re considering getting a new bike or just safer driving habits, here are some bad motorcycling habits to shake up your safe time on the road.

Never Drink and Ride

This is one of the most obvious bad motorcycle riding habits yet so many choose to ignore it.  Even if your local laws are laxer, it’s still a bad idea to include alcohol in your rider’s backpack

Even a tiny amount of alcohol in your system slows reaction time and affects lane awareness. This makes you more likely to drift into traffic and make dangerous manoeuvres. The penalties are usually stiff, too, so keep your wits about you. Also, do not ride without proper riding gear.

Don’t Tailgate 

This is another obvious bad motorcycle riding habits but many drivers don’t seem to realize that tailgating is a bad habit. It has caused over 1/3 of all accidents where an injury was reported and over half of the accidents where a fatality occurred. Tailgating is one of the easiest habits to break; make sure you keep about 5 seconds of spacing between you and the car in front of you at all times.

Don’t Be a Show-Off Or  Speed Racer

This is one of those habits that can kill you and others. It’s very tempting to put the pedal to the metal, flip people off and try to be the fastest person on the road. However, this type of reckless driving usually leads to negative consequences. If you want to be safe on the road, leave all forms of speed-related shenanigans out of the equation.

Don’t Underdose Your Bike

Though the risk of crashing on a motorcycle is inherently low, the consequences are significant. The most common cause of motorcycle crash deaths is being involved in an accident with another vehicle. You mitigate this by wearing proper protective gear. 

When you’re riding your motorcycle and feel like you’re going too fast, slow down and stop. Riding too fast can easily lead to an accident that could have been avoided if you’d just slowed down. You must ride safe! 

 Don’t Take It  the Wrong Way

If you drive on the wrong side of the road, at least be aware of it. Pull over and switch sides if you try to make a right-hand turn and see that cars are turning left in front of you. The wrong way of riding also puts you at risk for confusing signs or intersections, so don’t do it if there’s any chance that could happen.

 Not Wearing A Helmet

It’s not just your head that needs protecting, your neck and spine need to be guarded too. A helmet will guard against head trauma in the event of an accident.  Also, it will prevent soft tissue injuries, if you get rid of the bad motorcycle riding habit of not wearing a helmet. 

Driving a Motorcycle Without Lights at Night

Night is the most dangerous time to be on a motorcycle, as your vision is hampered and you can’t wear sunglasses. Moreover, many drivers don’t drive as well at night, making for serious hazards. Make sure you have good lights (and make sure the bike does too) that go a long way in dispelling the darkness of night.

Reckless Speeds

Going fast on your motorcycle is fun – until something goes wrong and you lose control. No matter how many times cowboys do it in movies, riding bikes at excessive speeds increases the likelihood of an accident. Always err on the side of caution – slow down!

Not Following the Rules of the Road

Being a motorcyclist in an increasingly congested world means you have to be careful not to break the rules of the road. While it’s common practice for cars to cut in front of motorcycles and most drivers wouldn’t think twice about doing so, sharing lanes is illegal. 

Riding Without Licence

  Riding on public roads with someone who isn’t licensed can lead to dangerous crashes and injuries for yourself, others on the road, and innocent bystanders as well. This is one of the worst motorcycling habits and you must avoid it at all costs! After all, your life is precious 

Conclusion

So is it true that you can die riding a motorcycle? Yes! Bad motorcycle riding habits are responsible for this! Well, even though many rough roads, crashes, and car accidents happen every year, the truth is that if you follow all of the tips in this article, you can almost certainly make it through your ride safely. A little common sense and attention to driving conditions will go a long way toward making sure no one gets hurt.