Safe Riding Skills

Safety is always a big issue and one we take very seriously indeed. However, with growing awareness from other road users and a greater number of scooters and motorcycles on our roads, two wheeled commuting is becoming safer all the time.

So can biking be safe? Yes, we believe so. Obviously accidents can happen and with one between a car and bike, there are no prizes for guessing who’ll fair better. But with good observational riding skills you can improve your anticipation, awareness and planning to avoid most potentially hazardous situations.

 

Anticipation. What’s happening in front of you? This isn’t just the case of looking at what you can see, but more importantly looking for what you can’t see and assessing what might happen. This may sound strange at first, but assessing what might happen is one the best skills a rider can have. Once you can assess what might happen, you can ride to avoid problems whether they arise or not. Here are some simple and more obvious examples:

  • A road on the left could mean a car could suddenly pull out in front you. Even if a car is waiting patiently, another car could hit it from behind pushing it into your path.

  • A hump bridge could mean an oncoming car could be overtaking a cyclist and can’t see you.

  • Whilst approaching a bend, a car further round the bend may have stopped in the middle of the road to turn right.

  • Never travel around a bend faster than you can stop in the distance you can see.

  • Always give yourself plenty of room between you and the vehicle in front to allow for the unexpected. Double this in the wet. Ask yourself, could I stop if the vehicle in front suddenly initiated an emergency stop?

 

Awareness. Make sure you know what’s around you at all times. What’s happening behind you and to your sides is just as important as what’s in front of you. Being stationary in traffic can be hazardous because many road users simply don’t register a bike stopped behind a car. One trick is to flash your brake lights a couple of times as they approach just so they register you’re there.  

  • When coming to a stop in traffic, always leave enough room in front to accelerate away should you feel in danger. Don’t get boxed in.

  • Use your mirrors to see what’s going on behind you. When turning a corner, use the wider view created in your mirrors to get better view.

  • Use regular shoulder checks to make sure there is nothing to your side prior to any manoeuvre. Other bikes or cyclists often to overtake on the inside.

 

Planning. Watch the road ahead and pick a smooth path avoiding hazards as you go. When passing parked cars, move over as much as possible, even crossing the white lines if safe and legal to do so. This gives you room to react to any potential hazard such as a car door opening or a dog running out. Choose a smooth route avoiding road surface hazards such as white lines and drain covers. Avoid making sudden directional changes due to a lack of forward planning.

  • Road markings. As rule, you should try to avoid whites lines, words and arrows at all times but especially in the wet. The reflective properties of the paint that allows you see these marking at night also makes them very slippery when wet.

  • Drain covers.  When wet, drain covers can be very slippery indeed. These are found as often on bends as on straight sections and are harder to spot when wet.

  • Oil and diesel spills. Made from leaking tanks of larger vehicles, these can be hazardous, not just from when you ride over them but for a short distance afterward too as the oil sticks to your tyres.

 

A few extra Top Tips to help keep you safe.

  • Sudden dazzling from a low sun can momentarily impair your vision.

  • Rain on the road surface after days of sunny weather makes the road surface considerably more slippery than usual.

  • Under normal conditions braking should be applied with two thirds front and one third rear. In the wet however, this should be changed to about fifty/fifty and adjusted accordingly as the conditions change.

  • Newly laid road surfaces are considerably slippery even in the dry. It takes about three months of regular use before they offer the usual traction you would expect.

  • Wear a bright reflective tabard or belt - day or night. They may not have the coolest look but that doesn't really matter when your safety is at stake.

  • Make sure your bike is well maintained, for example, low tyre pressures will affect your bikes handling significantly. Always look over your bike before setting off with a few simple checks; tyres, steering, lights and indicators.

 

As you can see, there is much you can do to reduce the likelihood of an accident. Unfortunately most accidents could be avoided with good observation – make sure yours are!


Pick up some books on riding skills and you can even join a local club. If you want any further help and advice, just pop in and have a chat.