Yellow is the New Black
Taking to the road as a new motorcyclist can be a little daunting.
Once
you have completed your mandatory motorcycle lessons the first few days
out on the road for a new user can be tense. There are dangers there
that previously you weren't aware of and that previously didn't affect
you as a car driver, a cyclist, pedestrian or a commuter.
Be Seen
At your IBT Training Course you should have acquired basic bike
skills. Learning how to interact with other traffic and the environment
is now a priority. The most fundamental necessity of riding a motorcycle
on the road is to be seen.
If they can't see you then they will hit you. They will change lane on top of you, pull out in front of you, and turn left or right into you if they don't know you're there.
Many of riders usually end up wearing black or dark personal protection equipment, mainly because it doesn't show the dirt and let's face it, we all look great in black. Unfortunately it doesn't rank very high for being seen.
Because of this there are moves afoot across Europe to make hi-vis (hi-visibility) jackets mandatory for motorcycles. Some agree with it while others see it as an infringement of their rights. The Hurt Report ( a US study on motorcycle accidents) found that the use of hi-vis significantly reduced multiple vehicle accidents involving motorcycles and other vehicles. Susan Wells' study in New Zealand found that the use of hi-vis reduced motorcycle accidents by 37%.
If you decided to take the hi-vis route you will need to choose the colour for the environment you will be riding in. Traditionally yellow hi-vis was for night time use and orange was regarded as daytime option. However yellow hi-vis in a city during the day is great but on a country road - contrasted against yellow and green leaves - it can act as camouflage. I prefer to use orange hi-viz for my students taking motorcycle lessons or undertaking their IBT Training.
Helmets - don't forget bright coloured helmets when it comes to being seen. White, yellow and orange helmets add to a rider's conspicuousness and should be considered as an option. If you're in to your stats - 19% reduced risk compared to a dark helmet according to Susan Wells' report.
Headlights - I am amazed at the amount of riders I see on the roads that don't use their headlights during the daytime. Simply putting on your headlight will get you spotted. Again both reports mentioned above cited that the use of a headlight significantly decreased the risk of accidents. The reason for this is that our eyes will naturally go to the brightest object in a scene first so a nice bright headlight will always out-trump hi-viz on a wet day in November giving you a 27% accident reduction with them on!
It is very important to make sure your headlight is properly adjusted. Many motorcycle headlights are not properly set and as a result they don't add significantly to the conspicuousness of the motorcycle. If your headlights are set too low, not only will you have problems seeing where you are going in the dark, you will also not be seen in daylight. Have your headlight adjusted so it is at the highest legal setting while you're on the bike. Remember the rider will compress the suspension and this will affect your light height.
Personally, on my motorcycle instructor bikes I run an extra set of side lights, these ensure that I'm spotted on the road quickly and they also create a larger front profile on the bike and as a result a greater presence on the road. I have to add in here that headlights adjusted too high will blind other drivers and could cause an accident.
Your road position is a significant factor in being seen while riding. You possibly covered this with your instructor while doing you motorcycle lessons. As a new rider you'll be feeling a little apprehensive about being on the road and your bike control. As a result you may be riding cautiously. This caution may manifest itself in your speed and your position on the road. You'll likely be riding slower that other traffic and as a result of this you'll tend to move to the near side of the road. After all, you're trying to keep out of the way of danger and this feels like a safer option than the centre of the lane - the position your instructor told you to take up.
There are a few problems with this approach. The first is that if you are moving slower or faster than the normal flow of traffic, you are in danger. Riding slowly means traffic behind you becomes frustrated and will try to push past you. Once this happens you will start moving closer to the kerb and as a result you'll be putting yourself in danger of not being seen by traffic coming from side streets onto the street you're on.
Think of it from merging driver's point of view. As he/she moves the car closer to the main road the only part of the road that is visible ids the off side, even while creeping out, only the centre of the road is visible. It's very hard from the driver to see the nearside of the road. Human nature being as it is the driver, once having seen most of the road, is likely to just pull out.
Remember other drivers often don't understand what is involved in riding a motorcycle. They will be listening to the radio, chatting to passengers, thinking about the shopping or talking on the phone. Chances are if you get into an accident as a result of not being seen you will win the court case but you could be winning it from a hospital bed or worse. Being seen on the road is a good way of keeping yourself off the accident statistics and enjoying the wonderful pleasure that there is to be gained from riding motorcycles.
Irish Motorcycle Training
If they can't see you then they will hit you. They will change lane on top of you, pull out in front of you, and turn left or right into you if they don't know you're there.
Many of riders usually end up wearing black or dark personal protection equipment, mainly because it doesn't show the dirt and let's face it, we all look great in black. Unfortunately it doesn't rank very high for being seen.
Because of this there are moves afoot across Europe to make hi-vis (hi-visibility) jackets mandatory for motorcycles. Some agree with it while others see it as an infringement of their rights. The Hurt Report ( a US study on motorcycle accidents) found that the use of hi-vis significantly reduced multiple vehicle accidents involving motorcycles and other vehicles. Susan Wells' study in New Zealand found that the use of hi-vis reduced motorcycle accidents by 37%.
If you decided to take the hi-vis route you will need to choose the colour for the environment you will be riding in. Traditionally yellow hi-vis was for night time use and orange was regarded as daytime option. However yellow hi-vis in a city during the day is great but on a country road - contrasted against yellow and green leaves - it can act as camouflage. I prefer to use orange hi-viz for my students taking motorcycle lessons or undertaking their IBT Training.
Helmets - don't forget bright coloured helmets when it comes to being seen. White, yellow and orange helmets add to a rider's conspicuousness and should be considered as an option. If you're in to your stats - 19% reduced risk compared to a dark helmet according to Susan Wells' report.
Headlights - I am amazed at the amount of riders I see on the roads that don't use their headlights during the daytime. Simply putting on your headlight will get you spotted. Again both reports mentioned above cited that the use of a headlight significantly decreased the risk of accidents. The reason for this is that our eyes will naturally go to the brightest object in a scene first so a nice bright headlight will always out-trump hi-viz on a wet day in November giving you a 27% accident reduction with them on!
It is very important to make sure your headlight is properly adjusted. Many motorcycle headlights are not properly set and as a result they don't add significantly to the conspicuousness of the motorcycle. If your headlights are set too low, not only will you have problems seeing where you are going in the dark, you will also not be seen in daylight. Have your headlight adjusted so it is at the highest legal setting while you're on the bike. Remember the rider will compress the suspension and this will affect your light height.
Personally, on my motorcycle instructor bikes I run an extra set of side lights, these ensure that I'm spotted on the road quickly and they also create a larger front profile on the bike and as a result a greater presence on the road. I have to add in here that headlights adjusted too high will blind other drivers and could cause an accident.
Your road position is a significant factor in being seen while riding. You possibly covered this with your instructor while doing you motorcycle lessons. As a new rider you'll be feeling a little apprehensive about being on the road and your bike control. As a result you may be riding cautiously. This caution may manifest itself in your speed and your position on the road. You'll likely be riding slower that other traffic and as a result of this you'll tend to move to the near side of the road. After all, you're trying to keep out of the way of danger and this feels like a safer option than the centre of the lane - the position your instructor told you to take up.
There are a few problems with this approach. The first is that if you are moving slower or faster than the normal flow of traffic, you are in danger. Riding slowly means traffic behind you becomes frustrated and will try to push past you. Once this happens you will start moving closer to the kerb and as a result you'll be putting yourself in danger of not being seen by traffic coming from side streets onto the street you're on.
Think of it from merging driver's point of view. As he/she moves the car closer to the main road the only part of the road that is visible ids the off side, even while creeping out, only the centre of the road is visible. It's very hard from the driver to see the nearside of the road. Human nature being as it is the driver, once having seen most of the road, is likely to just pull out.
Remember other drivers often don't understand what is involved in riding a motorcycle. They will be listening to the radio, chatting to passengers, thinking about the shopping or talking on the phone. Chances are if you get into an accident as a result of not being seen you will win the court case but you could be winning it from a hospital bed or worse. Being seen on the road is a good way of keeping yourself off the accident statistics and enjoying the wonderful pleasure that there is to be gained from riding motorcycles.
Irish Motorcycle Training
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