David Hurst – expert PHP/MySQL developer

When I tell people I ride a motorcycle, some of them stare back in abject horror as if I’d just told them I had highly contagious plague. It’s like they believe riding a motorcycle is somewhat akin to ordering your own tombstone – for them it’s not a case of ‘if you die’, it’s ‘when you die’. Most of these people then realise that perhaps they might be offending you, so they qualify their nonsense statements with something like: “of course, it’s not you – it doesn’t matter how good a rider you are, it’s all the other idiots on the road that don’t see you”. As they nod sagely and dispense enlightened motorcycle riding advice, I find myself wondering why I’m even listening to a safety lecture from someone who has probably never straddled a motorcycle in their life.

I’ve been riding for about 2 months now, and have covered over 1,500 enjoyable (and safe) miles on my trusty SV650S. I think I have reached a reasonable level of competence and I have changed my mind a little on the safety of motorcycling. I don’t think it’s unsafe, and I don’t imediately assume that most motorcycle accidents happen because car drivers don’t see bikes. Now, before anyone shouts me down, I do realise that it is true that car drivers don’t always see bikes, but I put responsibility for my own safety in my own hands, not some anonymous car driver on the road with me. If I ride in a car driver’s blind spot, frankly, I deserve everything I get.

In fact, good defensive riding skills teach you to observe the road situation and make a solid judgement about what other drivers are likely to do. For instance, I don’t pull out on to a main road if it’s not completely clear and safe to do so. If I can’t see around a blind corner, I slow down and position myself for optimum visibility. If I see a car at a junction ahead joining my road, I slow down and make sure I get eye contact with the driver before speeding up again. I cover my horn button in such circumstances, and prepare for someone to do something stupid. When they do, I can easily remain safe. I follow the two second rule when behind traffic. I don’t overtake if there’s not enough space for a car to overtake. I wear reflective clothing and a visible helmet. In heavy traffic, I put on a high-vis vest. This has so far kept me in one piece

I believe the statistics back me up too. The majority of motorcycle accidents are had by males in the 19 – 24 age bracket, and around 85% of all bike accidents involve motorcyclists who have been riding for less than 2 years. If car drivers were the root of all accidents, the statistics would show a better spread. After all, if a car driver doesn’t see a bike, it doesn’t matter whether the rider has been qualified for 1 hour or 20 years. So what’s the difference? Why do only new riders get caught out by car drivers failing to spot them?

Simple: experience – experienced riders know how to ride defensively and safely, and as a result they recognise a situation where a car may potentially not see them, and then take appropriate defensive action.

The other key factor, unlike car accident statistics, is inappropriate speed. There are far too many complete idiots, giving the rest of us bikers a bad name. They ride too fast, too close to the traffic, filter / overtake when they shouldn’t, fly around blind corners with scant regard for what may be hidden beyond their vision and as such make themselves likely targets for accidents. Frankly, if you drove your car like that, you would be just as likely to have an accident. (Of course, you have a better chance of survival in a car accident.)

I know plenty of bikers. Most have never had an accident, and those that have acknowledge that they were riding in an unsafe manner.

So, is motorcycling dangerous? Well, that’s down to the personal choice of the rider. Ride safe folks. View every other road user as a potential cause of your death and adjust your riding accordingly. You’ll be just fine.