MOTORCYCLES - It's All Your Fault!

This is something I've been telling people for a long time, but have been hesitant to put it in type for people who don't know me to read, and perhaps take the wrong way, even though it's something I feel very strongly about.

As motorcyclists, we know that the simple fact that the only protection we have is our gear, our skill, and out wits puts us at greater risk than other road users. Every ride is full of calculated risks, how you calculate these risks depends on your nature, experience and mental condition, but no matter who you are, or how you ride, those risks are there.

You know it, I know it, and your parents probably lost sleep over it when you first started riding. The way we handle these risks is to identify and deal with them as the come up, you cannot count on anyone else to deal with these risks for you, the responsibility falls solely on your shoulders.

• The car that turned left in front of you, nearly making you slam into the side of the car? That's your fault.
• The guy that rear-ended you at the red light? Yup, that's your fault too.
• The patch of gravel you hit in the middle of that turn? You're fault.
• The guy that ran the red light and t-boned you? I bet you can guess.
• Every accident and close call we have when we are on our bikes is our fault.

We know that we are hard to see, that our speed is hard to judge, and that a lot of people just aren't looking for us.

I have not yet heard of an accident that could not be avoided, or a close call that couldn't have been a total non-event if only the rider had been riding better.

I say riding better, but really I mean riding smarter.

You don't have to be an professional rider to avoid accidents, even a beginner skill set is enough to ride safe if you ride smart (even a turtle can avoid a car if it sees the threat early enough). The keys to safe riding are to accurately predict what's going to happen around you and put yourself in the safest place possible for the given situation, and ride within your abilities. Your scanning and prediction should always be improving, because you should never stop actively trying to get better at it. Identifying threats, and getting into a safe position, sadly, is not something that seems to come naturally to most people.

We have been taught from driving cars and trucks that there are rules that everyone follows, and that we can trust the other people on the road, but the sad fact is that those rules don't get followed, and we can't trust anyone but ourselves.

The things that are not hazards in a car can kill you on a bike, and the places that were perfectly comfortable, are not even remotely safe for two wheels. Always be thinking eight steps ahead.

Riding within your abilities, unfortunately is a really hard thing for some people to do. It's really easy to get lost in the moment and the thrill of going a bit too fast, it's also really hard not to try to keep up to your friends even if they have more experience than you, and even if it might be a bit uncomfortable to ride like them.

Out riding your skills causes a lot of accidents, and there is no one to blame but yourself.

• It's your fault if you didn't predict that car was going to turn left.
• It's your fault that you didn't have an escape route and weren't checking your mirrors at that light.
• It's your fault that you were unable to see that gravel before it became a problem.
• It's your fault if you didn't see the red light runner coming before it was too late.

Everything is your fault, but we'll just keep that between you and me, it's not something you want the insurance people knowing.

Ride Safe.

This article was contributed by Jeremy of Vancouver Island Motorcycle School