By MIKE Phillips |
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CREAM FILLING I stop at a red light ,
WHEN I always keep my bike in first gear and my hand holding the clutch with the other hand on the throttle . I stop with my left foot going to the ground first and my right foot riding the rear brake through the stop . I put my right foot on the ground if I need to for a very short time , then return it to the floodboard and the rear brake . I use the rear brake to hold the bike in place . I do not use the front brake to hold the bike in place . My right hand should be free to operate the throttle exclusively as a pull away from the stop and not try to simultaneously release the front brake and apply the throttle . This safety measure allows me to move quickly out of the way if there is an emergency . As a policeman , I have been to several crashes where a bike was stopped at a red light and then hit by a vehicle . The bike was knocked into oncoming traffic , run over , or crushed between cars . Several riders were injured , and two were killed in crashes of this type that I have been dispatched to . The riders had the bike in neutral , and their hands were not on the handlebars . You relinquish control of
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that bike when you take your hands off the handlebars . This prevented the rider from moving out of the way in time to avoid being hit .
When I am stopped , I use my eyes to search in all directions constantly . Danger can come from any direction . When I was the first vehicle to stop in line , I stopped closer to the right side of my lane . This position gives me more room if a car approaching me drifts into my lane . A vehicle coming from my right and turning left beside me may cut the corner sharp and enter my lane . This happens a lot with cars pulling trailers . The vehicle passes clear , but the trailer cuts into my lane . A vehicle coming from my left and then turning right to go past me may turn wide and drift into my lane .
I never stop with my bike directly behind the middle of a vehicle . I stop at the edge of my lane , whether on the right or left side of the vehicle in front of me , so that I can see the side mirrors of that vehicle . If you stop directly behind a vehicle in front of you , the driver of that vehicle may never see you . I know this position puts me closer to the traffic in the lanes beside me ; however , I would rather be
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close to the edge of the lane than be directly behind a vehicle with nowhere to go . I leave a bike length , ten feet or so , between me and the vehicle in front of me . I need to have enough room between the leading vehicles so I can easily pull up around them if the need arises . When a vehicle coming behind you does not stop in time , the escape route is to pull up beside the vehicle in front of you or off the road if there is room . I constantly check my mirrors to see if a vehicle is about to run into me . I also watch the vehicle in front of me . I have had vehicles in front of me back up on purpose or roll back due to driver inattention and almost hit me .
Rider β s hands can get tired from holding the clutch in for a long time at a stop . That is just part of riding . Most lights and stops last less than two to three minutes . If your hand gets tired , then exercise to strengthen your grip with the clutch hand . Being ready to move from a stop can be the difference between riding home that day and becoming the cream filling of the Oreo cookie when someone crushes you between cars . CMA
Mike Phillips is a certified Motorcycle Safety Foundation ( MSF ) instructor in Arkansas .
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27βͺNOVEMBER 2024βͺwww . cmausa . org |