There are a lot of petrol heads in the world who have never had the chance to ride a motorcycle. Despite knowing that you are likely to love this form of motorsport, it can be hard to work up the courage to use a machine like this on modern roads, and this leaves loads of people stuck on four wheels, instead of two. The last few years have seen a lot of changes in the ways that bikers keep themselves safe, though. With loads of new tools and technology hitting the market, could it be that motorbikes are approaching the point that they will be just as safe as driving inside a car?
The Good
To answer this question, it’s a good idea to start with the benefits of using a machine like this. A lot of people will jump straight to the dangerous side of something like this when they are considering it for themselves, and this can easily put you off. Below, you can find some examples of the sort of safety benefits of modern motorcycles, giving you the chance to start assessing it for yourself.
Gear: The clothing you wear on a motorbike is very important. Not only will it keep you warm and dry while you’re riding, but it will also help to protect you during an accident. Motorcycle boots, for example, are designed to make it far harder for you to suffer with injuries like broken ankles. It doesn’t take much force to cause serious injuries, making a full set of gear worth it for most riders.
Road Monitoring: Being a human, it would be impossible to expect you to be able to notice everything around you when you’re on the road. When you’re on a bike, though, missing something which would be small to a car, like a pothole, could be seriously dangerous to you. Modern motorbikes are starting to be fitting with monitoring systems which can keep an eye on the road on your behalf.
Awareness: While it isn’t exactly a technological development, public awareness is still important to consider in all of this. Drivers are getting better at dealing with motorcycles and push bikes, with cities becoming far safer than they used to be for people on two wheels. As time goes on, this should only improve, with loads of active campaigns around the world which are designed to push it further.
The Bad
Along with the improvements to motorcycle safety which have been seen over the last few years, there are also plenty of negative issues which you have to think about before buying a bike. In some cities and towns, these problems will be less obvious, and you won’t have to worry quite so much. Of course, though, those in the busiest places might want to take extra care when making their choices.
Busyness: There are more cars on the road than ever before, and these machines are only getting bigger and heavier as time goes on. Getting hit on a bike is always risky, even at low speed, making the traffic filled streets of places like London and New York into death traps for those who don’t know them well enough. No amount of technology can help you if someone drives into the back of you.
Speed: As more and more cars have hit the market, the speed at which they can travel has also been going up. There are very few cars on the road which struggle to hit the top speed limits in any given country, and high-speed collisions are just about the worse thing for a rider. You can avoid the fast roads in your area, but you will never be able to avoid those who think that they can drive however they like.
The Verdict
Deciding whether or not you want to ride a motorbike is a very personal thing. For some people, the fun will simply outweigh the risk, and it will be an easy choice to go for a bike. In other cases, though, you may feel far too daunted by the prospect of this sort of transport to start using it. Either way, staying safe is very important, and this information can still help you to keep an eye out for motorcycles while you’re in the car.
With all of this in mind, you should find this big choice a lot easier. Safety is always worth keeping in mind, especially when you’re in a large city, as other people won’t be looking out for you.
