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Motorcycle Safety tips for staying safe on the road by California Biker and Motorcycle Lawyer Norman Gregory Fernandez, Esq., and other authors.
You will find many interesting articles in this Blog to help you stay safe and keep both wheels on the road.
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The Biker and Motorcycle Lawyer Blog / Blawg, the Biker and Motorcycle Related Legal Articles Blog, the Motorcycle Safety Tips Blog, the Link Blog, the Motorcyle and Biker Ride Reports Blog, the California Personal Injury Lawyer, Attorney, Blog, and the Southern California Family Law Blog / Blawg is published by Attorney Norman Gregory Fernandez, Esq., and The Law Offices of Norman Gregory Fernandez & Associates, as an educational resource only. None of the material on this site is expressly or impliedly meant to provide legal advice to you in any way shape or form. Since the material on this site is provided for educational use only, and laws continuously change from time to time, the author of this website neither expressly nor impliedly warrants that any of the material provided on this website is accurate. If you have a legal issue we strongly suggest that you contact a lawyer in your State for a legal consultation. If you are in the State of California, you may contact The Law Offices of Norman Gregory Fernandez & Associates for a consultation on your matter. No attorney / client relationship shall be expressly or impliedly created between Attorney Norman Gregory Fernandez, Esq., or The Law Offices of Norman Gregory Fernandez and you, by the publishing of articles on this site, nor should you interpret that any such relationship has been created by the publishing of any content on this site.
All articles related to Biker Safety are provided for educational use only, and constitute expressions of opinions and advice of the author only. Attorney Norman Gregory Fernandez and The Law Offices of Norman Gregory Fernandez shall assume no liability whatsoever for your reliance on any of articles contained herein, nor should you rely on said articles as statements of fact.
I just read about a truly disgusting accident where a biker was killed after he made a full stop at a signal, and was rear ended by a Van. You can read about the accident by clicking here. The van driver not only killed this guy but he then ran away. He has turned himself in.
The biker that was killed was riding a custom Big Dog Chopper.
The reason I am bringing attention to this one particular accident is to bring a basic motorcycle safety issue to the forefront. We who ride motorcycles are completely open to the elements. Unlike cagers, we have no protection other than what we are wearing.
When you come to a stop at a signal or stop sign, you should always keep your bike in gear, and you should always be watching your mirrors for idiots that do not look like they are going to stop. Unlike in a car where you may not be able to move out of the way, on a motorcycle you can real quickly give it some gas, let the clutch out and move if you have to.
Always leave yourself an out when you are stopped. Plan on some idiot rear ending you and plan your out; Everytime you Stop! Do not be lazy. After a while this process will become second nature.
Now with respect to custom motorcycles and choppers; there are tons of really cool looking aftermarket mirrors, and even stock mirrors. I ask this question; is having a functional dual mirror setup on your motorcycle, more important than looking cool? No way! Don’t buy those micro mirrors that are worthless in function. Make sure you have good mirrors on your motorcycle. The stock mirrors on my Harley Davidson Electra Glide are perfect for functionality. Most stock mirrors on the motorcycles that I have owned are perfect. It is the cool looking aftermarket mirrors that in most cases are worthless.
Some of the custom motorcycles that I have seen being produced have mirrors that are basically installed as an afterthought just because the law requires them to be there. I am guilty on this issue too. I have purchased really cool looking aftermarket mirrors that were basically worthless. I have since changed my ways.
You must be able to see behind you on both sides. Your mirrors can save your life.
There is no way of knowing whether the biker killed in the article mentioned above could have gotten out of the way in this instance. The reason I am bringing this article to your attention is to let you know that when you are stopped on a motorcycle, you must be vigilant to protect your life.
Remember, cagers cannot see us like they would if we were in a car. We must act like we are invisible to the cager. If cager’s rear end each other, it is ten times worse for us!
Keep Both Wheels on the Road.
By Norman Gregory Fernandez, Esq., © 2007
You heard it right; a bathtub! I read an article which you can read by clicking here now, about a 72 year old motorcycle rider who was riding his Honda motorcycle on an interstate when he was hit by a bath tub that fell off of a truck.
The motorcycle rider suffered severe injuries in the crash. The driver of the truck was arrested for negligent injury and carrying an unsecured load. It is good to see that law enforcement seems to be doing more to punish those who take out motorcycle riders and bikers.
I have read about other accidents where bikers were killed by boats becoming un-hitched and hitting the motorcycle, and other debris hitting the motorcyclist and causing serious bodily harm or death.
I myself almost became a victim of such an event when a pack that I was leading suddenly came upon a mattress on the road while we were cruising at 70 miles per hour on the 101 freeway in Calabasas, California. I have also had to dodge spent big rig tire treads lying about on the highways. If you hit one of those treads at speed you are in for a world of shit. Big rig tire treads are metal re-enforced and can cause major damage to you and your motorcycle if you hit one.
Unlike cagers, we bikers and motorcycle riders are completely exposed to road conditions, debris, and all sorts of hazards while riding our motorcycles. If you have ridden motorcycles for any length of time on highways and on streets, chances are that you have had your share of close calls too.
On a few occasions while I was riding in my cage, I have seen things flying on the freeway that made me thank god that I was not on my motorcycle that day!
What can we as bikers and motorcyclist do to prevent being hit by debris or flying objects on the road while we are riding? Well, in the case of the 72 year old who was hit by a bath tub, it appears, not much. I doubt that he even saw the tub coming by what was written in the article here.
When you are riding your motorcycle, always remain vigilant. Anticipate that cagers, road debris, and flying objects will come at you, because they do! Keep your eyes and your ears open and anticipate the worst so you can prevent it. Do not tailgate trucks or trailers hauling materials, and always keep enough room for you to avoid debris and obstacles on the road. Do not ride directly next to cagers, and try to keep a 2 to 3 second distance between you and any cars in front of you.
If you see debris or something flying at you, do not panic! Try to calmly process what is happening and take evasive maneuvers. If you panic, you may over-react and crash your motorcycle instead of calmly maneuvering around the hazard.
Keep Both Wheels On The Road.
By Norman Gregory Fernandez, Esq., © 2007
I have read several articles about motorcycle airbag systems. Honda has come up with a production airbag system for their Goldwing motorcycle that you can read about by clicking here.
I have also read several articles on inflatable vest that inflate upon the rider falling off of the bike.
I sure would like to hear from anyone who has had an accident while using one of these new safety devices, and to hear if they helped.
I think the jury is still out on all of these systems. I have not read any real reports on whether these systems will actually protect you if you go down. My attitude is that anything that will increase safety while riding a motorcycle is a plus.
However, for me the bottom line to being safe on a motorcycle for now is taking a proper motorcycle safety course before riding; wearing good riding gear; and watching out for cagers.
In the end you do not want to be a test subject for new and improved motorcycle safety systems. You want to keep both wheels on the road, and keep your eyes and ears open while on runs.
By Norman Gregory Fernandez, Esq., © 2007
Here is a poignant video with a strong motorcycle safety message for all courtesy of youtube.com.
I sure wish that this video or something like it would be put on the TV networks to get people thinking about motorcycle safety.