Rule 5: Motorcyclist—you need to be very careful
Motorcycles, to most of riders, are a unique form of transportation that privileges them an exclusive position on the road. Speed and fun that come along with it expose them to dangers mostly not met by motorists. The lack of substantial protective shields between a motorcycle and the road result into serious injury or death at the event of collision. Unlike a car or other four wheelers, a motorcycle is lighter in weight; it has no door, no roof, no airbags, and no safety belts; therefore, motorcyclists are about 26 times more likely to die in a crash than a person riding in a passenger car, and are 5 times as likely to be injured.
A helmet alone doesn’t guarantee your safety: In case of collision with a four wheeler, or any other form of accidents, the motorcyclist involved can’t escape injury. What would be a "fender bender" for a four wheeler is often death for a motorcyclist. Wearing helmet, therefore, in most of the accidents, doesn’t make much difference.
I remember, once I was thrown off my motorcycle at a minor speed of 40 mph. It wasn’t a collision; I was just trying to save a puppy that emerged, all of a sudden, in front of me. I landed on my head. I was wearing a good helmet so it saved my head, but it took four months to completely recover from pain and injury. I still ride the same bike, wear the same helmet but I ride it very carefully. A recent study shows that a motorcyclist can suffer fatal head injuries in an impact as low as 4 mph.
Visual Recognition: Motorcycles, due to small in size, are smaller visual targets, which are more likely to be covered by other vehicles, or weather conditions. This is an issue of greater concerns at intersections, where near about 70 percent of motorcycle-versus-vehicle collisions occur.
Road Hazards: Hazards such as potholes, oil slicks, puddles, debris, ruts, uneven pavement, and railroad tracks become a major hazard for a motorcyclist.
Poor Riding Skills: Against the popular belief that a motorcycle is very easy to ride, it requires much more skill and physical coordination to operate than a car. Majority of motorcycle accidents are caused due to the rider’s lack of basic skills, or inability to understand the operating characteristics and limitations of the motorcycle.
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