An unlikely scenario but mostly the one we all hear when some mate has crashed whilst out riding on their own. This is the best place to start if you ask me.

Honesty.

Honesty is about admitting what happened and how you think the crash happened – I know none of us wants to tell the world that we are fallible after all and actually made a mistake but, a lie, told often enough, can become a truth in the mind of the teller. If you’re lying about how you came to write off your bike and stuff up your elbow then you will eventually believe the new and improved it wasn’t your fault story. Fair enough if it actually wasn’t your fault but if it was then you will learn nothing from the event by fooling yourself about it. If you take the time to be really honest with yourself you may discover why the crash happened and figure out a way of reducing the likelihood of it happening again.

Speed

Contrary to media belief and the views held by the general public regarding the nature of each and every motorcyclist, speed in itself is not a cause of crashes. This may sound odd and go against what we are normally led to think but think about it. If speed itself caused accidents then simply reducing speed would cut accident figures instantly. We could find out what speed it is in particular that causes the most accidents and then simply not drive at that speed.

How many times have you honestly done a hundred mph on your bike? Did you crash each time? Probably (hopefully) you never crashed purely by virtue of your speed.

So speed is not a cause of crash but if not then what is it? Well, it’s a factor of the crash. Crashes have many factors and speed is just one of them. It is a VERY important factor in any crash of any sort. Generally speaking if you’re going faster you tend to get hurt more if you crash or the crash will be of a larger magnitude. If you bang your forehead on the wall from an inch away and do it slowly you will hardly feel it. If you now pull your head back as far as it will go and then smash it into the same wall as fast as you can then you’ll probably fracture your skull. There three factors here. The hardness of the wall is a factor and so is the speed of impact and so is the hardness of your head. From this scientific approach (?) we should see that although there are three factors it is the factor of speed that changed the outcome. The wall remained just as hard in both impacts and so did the head but as the speed increased then so did the amount of damage to the wall and the head.

Observation (or lack of it!)

Included in observation would have to be concentration – it’s all very well if you plainly see the elephant standing in the road but if you’re away with the pixies you won’t do anything about avoiding it – bad news if it’s the back of the elephant you’re travelling toward!

Observation is essential (or rather good observation is) and seems so obvious but is actually an acquired skill that in eighteen years of riding I have yet to master to my satisfaction. I have seriously practised and give myself a running commentary on most rides. What needs to be done when riding is to be aware of what’s happening around you - to be able to assess risks and hazards – form a plan. You need to see everything ahead, to the side and be aware of what is behind you. You have a head on a neck which is higher than most cars so use it to look as far ahead as possible. The neck is useful too as it allows the head to be turned and coupled with some shoulder turn you will find you are able to attain a wide field of vision. The shiny bits at the front, mirrors, can also be used to keep an eye on what is behind. It is a natural consequence of going faster that our field of vision will reduce – it will become narrower and more focused to the front. Obviously when going faster things happening directly in your path will be the most hazardous so maybe this is no bad thing! Having said this we still need to stay aware of what’s going on around us. The IAM taught me ‘scanning’ which is really just sweeping an arc with your eyes and noting what you see. They also taught me to check my mirrors and apply a system of planning and observation that really helped me.

Good observation is probably the most important skill that any motorcyclist could develop. It can save your life and help you ride faster and smoother. Get yourself on a course with ROSPA or the IAM or similar and get to work on your observation and planning skills and you will never regret it – guaranteed or your virtual money back plus ten percent.

Panic

Panic is a killer. Strange how it should affect us in such a negative way when it is part of our instinctual reactions to danger that is intended to protect us. What happens if you fall over when running? You panic, throw your arms out in front of you, shut your eyes, grit your teeth and hold your breath to brace for the impact. When you’re on your bike you suddenly feel that you will run off the road and crash as you round a bend. What happens? You panic, lock your arms and brace against the bars, shut your eyes, hold your breath and wait for the inevitable. Same(ish) reactions as when falling yet this time instead of protecting your head and face from hitting the floor they get you slammed into a telegraph pole. We need to avoid panic at all costs. If in the same situation you had not panicked you could have fixed your gaze toward the bend exit, adjusted your speed and line and probably got round.

When you panic everything speeds up and you have locked the brakes on both wheels in an instant. When you relax everything seems to slow down and you have time to think about the wheels locking and ease off the brakes whilst planning where you’re going to point the bike to avoid a crash. So RELAX!

How best do I Learn to relax? By sorting out your observation and by reducing your speed until then.

Injury

Everyone outside bikes believes riding bikes is dangerous – it isn’t. CRASHING bikes is dangerous! However, if you ride a bike then you have to realise that you are more vulnerable to injury should the unthinkable happen than if you were driving a car or whatever. It amazes me that people can fall over at walking speed and tear a strip off the arm yet they would STILL ride at speed on their bike with little or no thought given to wearing any protective clothing. I know it gets hot in Britain but come on, it doesn’t get that hot!

Crashing your bike can cause anything ranging from bruising through limb loss to paralysis to death and it is most definitely best avoided. When I see some of the totally reckless riding we all see at times I just can’t believe these people are really giving any though at all to the possibility of serious injury. Having said that, you should be encouraged that most crashes do result in minor injuries but it’s a lottery and your better off not buying a ticket rather than relying on not winning the jackpot of a nice shiny box and the best funeral your spouse can afford.

This brief collection of thoughts is just a thing to have a look at and a think about. It’s not meant to be an exhaustive list of possible factors in crashes and it’s not intended to explain the ways in which you can avoid the same. All it is a few things to mull over before you set out on your next ride. A few things that might hopefully get you in the mood to go and see one of the fine organisations around the country who volunteer to help you ride your bike in a way that may keep you able to ride it into grand old age.