SAFETY TIPS
By MIKE Phillips
TIME most important factors in
THE crash avoidance are time and space . A rider with enough time and space can make correct decisions to avoid a crash . Crashes are caused by a combination of factors , but time and space concerns are present in every crash .
A case study of a crash shows how time and space are factors in crashes . Nick is a CMA member riding with the Life Line Riders in Fayetteville , Arkansas . Nick is a very good rider . He has been riding all his life , starting with dirt bikes as a kid . Nick has been riding cruisers the last ten years . He was riding a fulldressed 2015 Victory Cross Bones when he recently had a crash .
Nick was riding in the inside lane on a four-lane street in Rogers , Arkansas . The speed limit was 40 mph . Nick said he was going about 35 to 40 mph . Nick was following a few car lengths behind a van in the same lane . There was a car in the inside lane a little behind Nick . Nick did a head check over his right shoulder to see where the other car was . When he turned his head to the front and saw the van was stopped to make a left turn . Nick thought , “ oh no ,” then attempted to swerve around the van , but he hit the right rear quarter of the van . Nick said the thing he did that mostly caused the crash was he looked at the van as he tried to swerve . He fixed his gaze on the van instead of where he wanted to go to avoid the van . The bike fell over on the road and was totaled . Nick was not hurt .
Nick said his head check was longer than needed because the mirrors on the bike were small and did not give a wide view behind him . When Nick saw the van stop so close in front of him , there was not enough time or space to stop or swerve around the van . By staring at the back of the van , that is where the bike went even though he wanted to ride around it .
This crash , as with most crashes , was preventable . Riding a couple of miles an hour slower and doing a quicker head check would have given Nick more time and space to react . With more time and space to work with , an evasive maneuver can be a well-executed step rather than a hasty unplanned reaction .
More time and space might allow for a brake and escape . This is where the bike ’ s brakes are applied as quickly and safely as possible until the speed is slow enough to perform a proper swerve . The brake and the swerve must be separate actions .
Roll off the throttle and brake as hard as you safely can . Release both brakes and swerve by counter steering in the direction you want to go then counter steering back into the original path . The brakes must be released during the swerve . Once the bike has swerved past the danger , adjust the gears and throttle as needed to continue on your way .
In the Bible , Matthew 25 talks about when Jesus will return . Jesus uses the parable of the ten virgins to prepare people for His return . Some were prepared , and some were not . Those who were not prepared were left behind . In Matthew 25:13 ( NIV ) Jesus says , “ Therefore keep watch , because you do not know the day or the hour .”
This verse is a guide for our lives and can also be related to riding a bike . No one knows when something might happen while we are riding . We must be prepared by keeping watch for any potential trouble , practicing proper evasive maneuvers , and having the patience not to ride into dangerous situations . With enough time and space , riders can avoid most crashes . Always take time to make space . CMA
Mike Phillips is a certified Motorcycle Safety Foundation ( MSF ) instructor in Arkansas .
27⎪MARCH 2022⎪www . cmausa . org