How to be a safer motorbike rider
Summer is finally here and once again our roads are filling up with motorcyclists keen to make the most of the great weather. If you’re one of those motorcyclists you need to be seriously careful because according to government statistics, bikers make up 1% of the total traffic on UK roads, but account for over 20% of casualties. If you’re a rider you should be terrified by that stat. It’s no surprise though, because a bike has no side impact bars, crumple zones or airbags to save you when things go pear-shaped, which is why every time you ride you need to stick to a few simple rules. A minor error of judgment that a car driver might shrug off could prove fatal for a biker. According to official figures, the things most likely to cause a motorcyclist to come to grief are failing to negotiate bends on rural A-roads, collisions at junctions, collisions while overtaking and loss of control. The latter one is a bit of a catch-all as it could be because of poor positioning on a bend or riding too fast for the conditions. Either way, sticking to these simple rules could mean the difference between life and death.