Question). Are MOTORCYCLES dangerous? Answer). No more Dangerous than A LOADED GUN!

I'm not trying to say that the risk of riding a motorcycle is low but I don't believe statistics paint a clear picture, here's why!

#aremotorcycledangerous
#motorcyclesare dangerous

[bbumble]

Spot on sir.

Early in my motorcycling life I learned about “risk compensation”: the safer people feel, the more risks they take. The more driver and rider aids - air bags, abs, traction control, wheelie control, crumple zones, seat belts …. - the less careful road users can become. The situation is not helped by car entertainment systems, SatNavs, mobile phones and other distractions.

The consequences fall heaviest, of course, on the most vulnerable, notably pedestrians, cyclists, horse riders and motorcyclists, and on their family and friends, and the emergency services faced with clearing up afterwards.

The only sensible course is defensive riding. Expect and plan for stupidity, selfishness and inattention in other road users and be pleasantly surprised when it doesn’t happen. When in doubt, don’t. And do your bit by avoiding unnecessary risks, including making sure that your bike and biking gear are fit for purpose. If not, biking will continue to face ever greater controls and barriers.

[kevintracey]

I use the same gun analogy when I respond to the ‘motorbikes are dangerous’ comment. You’re spot on with your advice to ride within your capability, and I certainly agree with treating other road users with caution. Stay safe!

[johnnybgood]

Excellent video as always Uncle Stu. I’m not providing excuses for careless motorists here but I do remember some research that showed that the “Sorry mate, I didn’t see you” defence may have some truth in it as it showed that the brain can sometimes filter out things that it doesn’t consider a threat. So it’s not just the sheer size of a lorry, van or car that stops us pulling out in front of it, it’s the subconscious perceived threat to self. As a pedal cyclist I’ve known drivers pull into my path just feet ahead of me and I’ve been able to see the shock on their faces when the brain has finally registered my presence even though they’d been looking straight at me all along.
Scary stuff but my golden rule is to never, ever assume you’ve been seen.

[alexclarke]

Hi Stu, it is the age old question. Back in the early noughties I got into a conversation with a police accident investigator up at seaways cafe, you may know him, he rides a zzr 1400 when not on duty. He told me that 21 out of the 22 motorcycle deaths recorded in the East Riding and North Yorkshire that year were down to loss of control in corners. He explained that they were mainly sports bike riders and that speed itself wasn't the issue but inappropriate speed for the corners they died on. I think some of us life long motorcyclists are here by good fortune, we learned from crashes as teenagers that we were lucky to walk away from until we learnt to respect bikes and road conditions. For new riders training is the key to avoid the kind of tumbles we took in our teens.

[iamomariqbal]

"Always expect other people on the road to be crazy ", my fathers no. 1 advice when I was learning to drive.

[mikecartlidge]

Way back in 1971 at the age of 16 I was about to begin a life of motorcycling, my Father having never had anything to do with bikes asked my Uncle who had ridden for years to have a word with me, one of the things he told me had stayed with me 51 said, remember any silly bugger can open a throttle up but it's a clever fella that knows when to shut it down. That among other survival skills I have learned over the years have seen me enjoy motorcycles as an everyday form of transport for those 51 years, never owned a car in my life.

[garycarr]

Your video Stuart is so relevant to me at the moment I’m going to be 60 in a few weeks time and have always had an interest in motorcycling and last weekend I did my CBT and now planning on doing my motorcycle test. I can’t deny I had my own concerns about starting motorcycling at this time of my life. But I’m sure I’m going to enjoy learning a new skill and looking forward to riding many miles on whatever ever machine I get as my first bike . Great video thanks

[TedSwerve]

Very good observations here. After 40 years of unbroken riding I can completely empathise with you Stuart. I now ride a new Triumph rocket 3, why? Because I want to. Despite all the power (and this is my second rocket) it’s easy to ride it steadily and responsibly, never speed through villages, always watch out for cars emerging from side roads, hands on clutch and brake, even if you think they’ve seen you, roll off speed at junctions, just to give yourself more chance of an unexpected manoeuvre. Always adapt your riding to your own advantage. And most importantly ride for yourself, not to prove something to another rider…. Oh and have fun.

[scottt]

Another excellent and well considered video uncle Stu. To my mind, and having been the not at fault party in an accident in the last year, the biggest danger in riding a motorcycle is the rest of the general public. As we are coming out of lockdowns etc here in Sydney, the amount of people on the road who have not driven in 12 months etc is rising. And they HAVE FORGOTTEN HOW TO DRIVE!

Within the last month, the amount of times I’ve had to grab a handful of brakes due to some numpty over shooting intersections, not using indicators and failing to see a 6’5” 130kg man on a bright red RE meteor, is uncountable.

This means that, for me, motorcycles have become somewhat more dangerous as I now have to think for myself AND everyone else.

Stay safe and thank you for the sane sensible and well considered videos.

[Mark-elsb]

Great advice Stu, especially driving at no more than 70% of your and your bike's capabilities, and not trusting other road users to always do the correct thing. Only one thing I would add, and that is to keep your cool if another road user fails to drive correctly (as we expected, right?). Road rage has no place in motorcycling, and reflects poorly on all involved.

[brianperry]

How to avoid becoming a motorcycle accident/death statistic...Treat ''all'' cagers as possible assassins especially on roundabouts, junctions etc!. .The refrain .''Sorry Mate I didn't See You....comes to mind. All that expensive fancy 'safety' riding gear won't save you if your ego takes over.... I remember a police motorcycle patrol officer once comment ''It doesn't matter whose fault it was if you're dead''.
I've been using motorcycles since 1962, in that time I've been T-boned twice by Cagers whose spacial awareness wasn't what it should have been. Plus, I've fell off a couple of times...it hurts like hell!. With increasing age the ability to bounce has also diminished.!! Do I still have 'Hooligan'' moments, the exuberance of youth, Yes! but only on roads with minimal traffic, good surfaces etc!.... Here in Spain we Bikers are lucky in that respect....The fact is Car drivers are the largest danger too bikers, they always have. With in-car distractions, the huge increase in traffic congestion, the consequent inpatients by many, bikers must stay ever vigilant and focused at all times.... Safe riding to all Bikers

[simoncarson]

Wise words Stuart!
I've always subscribed to the 'treat everyone else as if they're trying to kill you' idea. The biggest asset in our armoury is experience, which as we all know, is hard-won!

[johnturner]

You often hear the phrase - "I couldn't have put it better myself". Well, I couldn't have put it better myself. Top wisdom once again Stuart!

[andrewmeads]

I am a new rider and went through the same thought process before deciding to learn, at the ripe old age of 47. I’ve been riding pedal cycles on the road all my life. The risks are similar and in some respects perhaps worse.

I follow the approach Stu sets out. So far, I have found one of the biggest issues has been people reversing onto the road from driveways. Riding in an anticipatory manner, just as I do on my road bike, helps to mitigate that particular risk too.

I had the same thoughts when choosing my first big bike. I went for a T120. Leaving aside personal opinions on that particular bike (I found choosing difficult, if fun!), many people would suggest I should have gone for something “smaller”. The thing is that, when you look at it, the weight difference was not that great between, say, a Street Twin or Interceptor, and the T120. It’s up to my common sense as to how far I twist the throttle. I ride well within its limits and mine. I therefore reasoned it was no more dangerous to get the bike I wanted than it was to get something “smaller”.

To my mind, it’s all about a sense of self awareness and the appreciation of your environment.

Lastly, I am a keen car enthusiast. I have a classic car, which is also risky to some people’s minds. But riding has certainly made me a better driver already.

[brake]

I passed my HGV back in 1976. Advice given me at the time was, "Always remember motorists are selfish, impatient and aggressive". Still true!

[marcolibanore]

Sir, this is the video I needed the most, much more than any Interceptor 650 maintenance/mod videos (as I'm considering it as the long-keep bike I might have since I'm 22). Many folks ask me "why don't you buy a Ninja 350, wait 2 years and upgrade to a Z900?" Because I want to enjoy the ride, and enjoy my life continuing after it! I know you can go crazy even on a kid's tricycle, but I think that the ability to discern which bike is more suitable for your driving style influences as much as the "need to fire that loaded gun", using your example. Many bikers don't really realize that a certain type of bike gets you in the mentality of doing certain bullshits or not doing them at all. Once again, thanks for a top-notch video. Ride safe man and greetings from Italy
Bonus
You should start a book reading podcast or what, that voice is truly soothing!

[YorkshireRose]

I make a similar argument when people people say things like "Fog on the A1 caused a multi vehicle pile-up" - That was a favourite back in the 1970s. I always pointed out that fog doesn't cause accidents! People cause accidents! Because they fail to behave according to the conditions - The same is also true of snow, rain, or ice.

A friend of mine died in a motorcycle accident when he was a mere 18 years old, he had a very mild 125cc Honda, nice enough little bike, for commuting to work, but on a weekend, he went a bit "bullet-nut" and pushed the envelope, until one foggy, frosty night when he went out with his best mate - A regular, even if not frequent event. On this occasion, he apparently "pushed it a bit" in his usual way, but failed to take account of the conditions. It was at a particularly tight right hand bend just outside York. The road surface was heavily glazed from the HGVs which used that road, but Eric hadn't factored that into his actions. According to his mate, Eric came off the road in a dead straight line, almost as if he hadn't even tried to turn the corner. People than, blamed the bike as being "dangerous", and added that the road was "dangerous" and that the weather was "dangerous". No one else died there that night. None of the above actually caused the accident, and if Eric had been at home watching telly, that accident would not have happened. In reality, it was simply that Eric had failed to take account of, and to mitigate against the inherent dangers. That was where the real danger laid.

Inherent dangers only become real when human beings are involved, and fail to take account of the risk factors, or allow hubris to fog their common sense.

[bobstevens]

Wise words and sage advice from Stuart as always. People... take heed of this man, he casts a sober eye over the febrile world we inhabit.

[stevew]

Great video with some good advice. I'm a relative newbie as I've mentioned before, I used to ride in my teens but only got round to taking my full bike test last year aged 49. I bought an Interceptor, which is more than enough for me - it's still faster than most cars, especially up to legal speed limits.

I learned a lot on my way to gaining my licence last year, the training was really good and I didn't realise for example how bad my lane discipline at roundabouts had become over the years of driving (been driving since I was 17). So from that respect it was a really good refresher for me. I've also learned quite a lot from youtube videos from a selection of vloggers. Anticipation, Anticipation, Anticipation. It doesn't matter if you're the one in the right in an accident if you end up dead or seriously injured. Just try your best to not put yourself into the position that a car driver can hit you (ie. don't sit in their blind spots, sit just behind them on a dual carriageway if you can't overtake, rather than next to them - so then you have room in front for them to switch lanes without it causing you an issue etc).

At my age, I'm past the "must go fast all the time" stage of my life, so I tend to ride far more sensibly than I would have in my twenties for sure.

I also choose to NOT listen to music etc while riding. For two reasons really. One, I don't want any distractions and like to be able to hear as much as I can from the environment around me - and two, I ride for pleasure - I'm never in a hurry when I ride, so the natural noises are all part of the experience and I think music would kinda ruin it for me.

[grahamearl]

Great analogy Stuart, and spot on he mark.
I teach Emergency Response Driving and so many students come to the course thinking they will be taught how to drive fast, they all seem a little disapointed when I tell them they are going to be taught how to drive safely.
A good 80% of the course revolves around hazard awareneess and many are very surprised at how much they actually don't take in when they are driving normally.
I can count myself lucky as Ive never had a 'contact' with another road user on any of my bikes, been caught out a couple of times on tricky road surfaces with a few minor "off's" but have had a few knocks in cars and when Ive analysed the circumstances it's been in part due to the sense of being more "protected" in the car and not having paid sufficient attention to what was going on around me. I always feel 'alive' when Im riding.