Top 5 MISTAKES Beginner Rides Make in TRAFFIC

Riding in traffic on a motorcycle can be terrifying, especially if it's your first time. In today's video, I'm going to give you guys my top 5 tips to keep you safe while you're out there riding on the street.
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DISCLAIMER: Information contained here is of a general nature and not intended to address the circumstances of any individual. NO MEMBER OF SENTRY INSURANCE GROUP WILL BE LIABLE FOR ANY LOSSES OR DAMAGES CAUSED, OR ALLEGED TO HAVE BEEN CAUSED, REGARDLESS OF WHETHER SUCH CLAIM IS BASED ON CONTRACT, WARRANTY, TORT OR OTHER GROUNDS.

Timestamps:
0:00 - Intro / Riding in Traffic is Dangerous
0:45 - Get Insurance / Dairyland Ad
1:12 - Mistake #1 / Go slightly faster than cars around you
2:17 - Mistake #2 / Slow down at Intersections
3:39 - Mistake #3 / Stopping directly behind a car
5:26 - Mistake #4 / Not using your brake light
6:48 - Mistake #5 / Focus on other cars Front Wheel only

[ericcassidy]

Drive as if other drivers are actively trying to kill you.

[deandoucette]

As a motorcyclist who has rode all
over the western half of North America and for 42 years without an accident, I have learned how to stay safe from way too many close calls.
1) Do not cheap out on motorcycle gear. Many riders spend a generous portion of their money on the motorcycle and then cheap out on gear. I often hear them say that they plan to get better gear later on. I once spoke with a paramedic who had been at the scene of many motorcycle accidents. She said one of the first things she sees is the running shoes that had popped off. Then she said their ankle bones are ground down. Buy your self proper motorcycle boots. Riders wearing open-face helmets are just asking for facial reconstruction surgery. Look at the chin portion of motorcycle helmets after an accident. That chin portion that is scratched up. That would have been your chin. Wear proper armored gloves. Your hands are made of many tiny bones. When you go down (not if you go down), you will probably be reaching forward with your hands out. Research the type of armor in the gear before you purchase. Lastly, dress for the slide, not the ride. Also, I say to people who ask why I am wearing gear on such a hot day “I would rather sweat than bleed”. Oh, one more thing, west shatter-resistant sunglasses so you don’t end up with glass shards in your eyes.
2) Always have an exit strategy. Do not allow vehicles to surround you and prevent you from having an escape route. You should always be thinking if this driver was to do this, where can I go. Better to plan your next move, if need be, rather than just react.
3) Ride like no one can see you and they are all out to kill you. Distracted and aggressive drivers are the worst. Those family vehicles full of kids with a stressed out parent driving are the absolute worst. Stay well clear of min-vans. Always look to see if the driver is texting or talking on their phones. Contrary to what they think, they are very distracted and incapable of multitasking. I almost got killed by a mother driving a minivan full of kids while holding a phone to her ear.
4) We all enjoy testing the limits of our riding while we are young and some of us live to talk about it. However, you should slow down and just enjoy the ride. You have family at home depending on you to arrive home safe.
5) Avoid riding at dawn and at dusk when the deer are out.
6) always brush up on learning about safety tips. Read books, read websites, and watch videos like this one.

[Zerobar.]

I’m a former truck driver of 13 years and one of the best ways to predict a lane change was to watch the front tire, this is excellent advice!!

[escanor]

Been riding for 30 years and here are my tips :
1/ While waiting at the traffic light I always have a look at the mirrors to eventually check for cars coming who don't have intention to stop like the rest of us (It happened to me once).
2/ Also while "filtering" in traffic, always assume when you see a slot becoming available for a car, that someone in position to "take that slot" is going to cut you off in order to get inside the slot !
3/ Never ever stay into car's blindspot ! Get ahead or slow down, but don't stay in that zone.
4/ When you look at traffic ahead, do not look only at the car in front of you but try to look through his winshield the further away at cars ahead to anticipate ! (that is also why I never stay behind commercial trucks without glass rear winshields).
5/ Look at people's hands inside their car and see what they're doing ! If they're holding a phone : Be extra careful and leave some space or move ahead far away safely !
6/ Don't ever let yourself be completey surrounded by cars(front, behind, left and right), always keep a way for you to escape if needed !
7/ Do not hesitate to use your bike's power to escape risky situations (extract yourself from hazardous drivers and go further away to safety if needed)
8/ Finally, be like a chess player and always think 2 or 3 moves ahead if you can (train yourself to do so, it will come with experience).
9/ Keep in mind that the road is not a racetrack and that you will have to deal with thousands of unpredictable parameters (oil stains, cans and bottles on the asphalt, bees inside your helmet, you name it...)
Be safe guys ! 😉

[RosieIfYouKnowMe]

As a car driver, I appreciate knowing these things; anything I can do to make riding safer for bikers ❤

[Smallborewheels]

Don't ride in the middle of the lane. You'll encounter oil and other car fluids that may hinder your traction. I usually try to ride on the tire lanes that cars have made to reduce the grip issue ether oil or fluid leaks on the road may bring.

[blackflagrising]

I’ve been riding for 50 years. Have owned many bikes. I have never taken a class, all of my riding knowledge is from experience. I give this video 10 stars. Every point is what I preach to others riders. Watching the front tires has saved my skin many times. Changing speed, for me always staying out front and away from cars as much as possible. Don’t ride like you are in a car. Watch cars behind you, especially at intersections. Be seen. Keep your distance. Watch these videos, they are golden

[BN]

Another key thing for me is getting a helmet with rear lights, or put rear lights on your helmet. There are so many tall cars now, SUVs, crossovers, lifted trucks, that if they are close enough to you, won't notice your brake lights. Helmet lights are great since it's actually at the eye level and it just adds one more thing to you being visible.

[cantfindneutral]

My mom always taught me to check before clearing the intersection even when it turns green for red light runners when I was learning to drive, I still carry that instinct while riding.

[thirdeyesurvivor]

I swear being interested in motorcycles makes me so much more aware when driving my car.

[gpfeiffer]

Great advice. After almost 50 years of riding my Dad's advice from the beginning is what I pass along. "When you are on a bike, moving or not, you are invisible." Expect everyone to come at you. I had a moment when I went for the sidewalk just in time to look to my left and see a car where I was seconds earlier.

[HeyHeyItsJayTay]

A tip i've also learned is glance at the side mirrors when you are looking at the front tire. If you see head movement looking into the mirror, this is a good indicator that the drivers is probably about to make a move.

[stevestowell-virtue]

Very good advice. 50 years on the roadbikes now and I have used evey technique described in this video and the have kept me alive. One other tip I would suggest is always keep your bike in 1st gear, not neutral, when stopped at a light, and be ready to squirt between the cars if you need to escape a rear-end collision.

[zjammer]

Always be a beginner. I have nearly one hundred thousand miles on bikes over the last eleven years I've been riding. Every close call I have ever had was by some percentage, my own fault. I constantly look for new techniques that could make me safer. Conversely, as I practice and maintain my technique, I used some of my "incase of the unlikely event" techniques and experienced them working to prevent an accident.
Whenever I ride alone, I mostly ride a far left number 3 lane position. I'm almost on the line on the left side of my lane. There are two exceptions. If I'm in the far left lane, I ride an extreme number 1. If I'm in a center lane with traffic on both sides, I ride position 2 with the tendency to "crowd" anyone who has just moved into a position near me.
I don't get along side semi trucks unless there's space to pass them entirely and If I have to pass them on the right, I do it quickly.
When I feel surrounded by unpredictable traffic, I put my thumb and pointer on the horn button and the high beam flasher incase someone starts coming over without looking. I press both simultaneously and repeatedly if they do and I can think of two times it worked to get their attention and stop them from coming over.
Never put your right foot down before you have the bike stopped. This is a big one. I see the vast majority of riders making this mistake. You need to transition from a majority of front brake to a majority of rear brake in the last few feet of stopping. The slower you're going, the less natural stability the bike has and if you suddenly need to stop at low speeds, you want to do it with the rear brake because the front brake will make the bike dive and a lot of riders dump their bikes this way. The other thing that can happen is if there is reduced traction from liquids or debris, the front tire can skid and the bike becomes almost impossible to keep up. It's left foot down after you get the bike in first gear followed by right foot down once the bike is stopped. If it feels like the bike starts leaning right during this very brief transitional moment, give the bars a slight nudge in the left side meaning push the bars away on the left. This will correct the off side lean.
The bike you choose makes a difference.
-ABS and traction control can save you.
-Smooth running engines make for viewable mirrors.
-Quiet pipes let you hear what's happening around you contrary to the false popular belief that loud pipes save lives. If you're to the side or oncoming, nobody can hear your exhaust. If they can hear your exhaust, you're already right in their face.
-Tires can make a big difference in how comfortable you are with your bike's handling. Replace your tires before they're totally worn out.
-A loose chain makes low speed handling jerky. An overly tight chain will damage your bike. Keep your chain properly adjusted and lubricated. Lubrication makes the chain last longer and adjustments will be less frequent.
-Upright riding positions cause less fatigue meaning you can ride longer and go further.
-Armored gear can prevent significant injury if you do go down and good riding gear also reduces fatigue.

[tommydude]

I feel (hope) like a good rider would learn these tips relatively early on while riding. Here's another tip: RIDE LIKE EVERYONE'S OUT TO KILL YOU! Complacency is killer. Some people really don't care about other drivers, and care even less about us. This can develop when riding home from a busy day at work on the same route. If you can, switch up your route

[johnsampson]

I've taken your "Always assume that nobody is going to do what they should" and upped it to "always assume that everyone else on the road is an idiot and is going to do the stupidest thing possible". This way when they do I'm not surprised. And when they don't I'm pleasantly surprised. This mind-set saved me from numerous incidents in the decade that I rode a streetbike. It continues to protect me now that I've started bicycling again. People just don't pay attention to anything on two wheels; with a motor or without.

[DaveCraineAccidentalAquarist]

I’ve been a CDL instructor for more than 10 years and a rider for almost that long. I think this is a VERY well done video. Also- we KNOW drivers are gonna do dumb stuff, so I changed it to “Expect the expected.” Great content 👍🏼👍🏼

[pistolpete]

Excellent video, Chase! Another tip that I would couple together with the _"don't park directly behind cars at a red light"_ is never be in neutral at a red light. Stay in gear and be checking your mirrors while waiting for the light to change. If you see a car coming in too hot because they're not paying attention you can escape *much quicker* because you're already in gear.

[blackmirror]

Uk rider here. First off, I wanted to say that this was an informative, succint video that gives us a lot of good advice.

When I'm riding, I pretend that I'm invisible. It's important to always follow traffic with a decent space cushion and signal whenever you need to change lanes. Also, lane filter at slow speeds so that people can prepare to give you space, or you can react with enough time if something goes wrong.

Also, invest in sufficient gear. Not a t-shirt and nice sneakers, but full-on ATTGAT, or "all the gear, all the time" with CE rated protective armour. This gives you sufficient coverage, and it is much better to dress for the slide than for the ride.

According to statistics, our mortality rates are 37 times that of the average driver. We are literally riding against average drivers most of the time, and is important that we we exude a healthy dose of paranoia when we're on the roads.

Thank you so much for your video! Subscribed!

[rodgerrugeresiliencecoach]

I have over 40 years of riding experience and just wanted to give you a nod on doing a great video/service. Solid advice.