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Every once in awhile we hear of a m/c accident where it's clear that things were pretty much totally out of the control of the motorcyclist. We were just victims of the alignment of the heavens. It was just not our day. The most recent reminder of this is DragRacerBob's becoming a grill ornament for an inappropriately driven Chryler New Yorker.
However, one of the motivations that keep me going in m/c safety activities is the belief that in the vast majority of instances, there was some action, inappropriate on our part, that, had it been appropriate, could have prevented or mitigated the incident. I'm not getting into accident fault when I say this. We all know that in the vast majority of multiple vehicle m/c accidents, we are the aggrieved party. I think our mission is not to establish fault, but to keep incidents from occurring, even and often when we would not have been at fault. Being "dead right," in my opinion is not our mission.
While doing the "thinking prep" for this article, my thoughts went to two fairly distinct types of inappropriate behavior. One was inappropriate speed. I think most of us can point to accidents where speed, at a certain point in time, was inappropriate and contributed to an accident. My second thought went to inappropriate rider input to the m/c. Again, I think most of us can point to accidents where inappropriate rider input - braking, steering, and/or throttle action were prime contributors to a rider's demise. After just a bit of thought, it seemed to make sense to pair these into a combined "Inappropriate?" write-up, rather than determine a "winner.".
In regards to speed, an important distinction is that when I say inappropriate speed, I am not in any way speaking to absolute speed. Personally, I think that absolute speed, "speeding," is grossly overrated, as an accident contributor, and I don't want to be confused w/ that "lobby." Many of us enjoy the twist of the throttle, and I would be hard pressed (and perhaps hypocritical) to take this on.
My focus is on speed at inappropriate times - speed when we crest a hill, speed in challenging unfamiliar roads, speed at intersections or in congested areas, speed above my comfort level to keep up w/ the "group," speed through a mall lot, etc. - i.e., "smart or non-smart speed." I can point to many, many m/c accidents where inappropriate speed, had it been appropriate, could have avoided an accident. Again, that is not to say that we were or were not at fault, legally. The issue, as I see it, is not fault; it's avoidance. Where am I going with this? With the experience and knowledge on this forum, it would make no sense for me to attempt to list every instance in which we might use inappropriate speed. My mission is only to get us to acknowledge that there are both appropriate and inappropriate speeds, and to get us to think while twisting the wrist as to which is likely to result.
We all know when we crest a blind hill, that if we cannot stop should a farmer be pulling an implement out of a field directly into our path, that our speed is inappropriate. My hope is to get us to do something about it! Perhaps to think about appropriate and inappropriate speed, and acknowledge that if we're wiser in this distinction we have a higher assurance of riding again tomorrow, without taking away from the joy of the ride or our place in the rally.
Once we have an appropriate speed, our job is only half done. Next we must avoid providing inappropriate inputs to the m/c in regards to braking, steering and throttle. We could fill several future volumes on appropriate inputs and how to develop the skills and experience to execute them. However, from my experience and many years of digesting m/c accident reports and data, I think simply avoiding inappropriate inputs would take us a long way toward our goal. Keith Code in "A Twist of the Wrist II," which is available in the MTF library and a good read, refers to the 10 deadly sins of riding, where we often do just the opposite of what is appropriate due to inappropriate fears.
Today's motorcycle is a wonderfully capable machine with a remarkable ability to recover from many situations. In a curve, if we will simply look well ahead through our line, lean with the bike, and press as needed, the m/c will deliver us through most curves. Inappropriate actions, which have spelled doom to many riders, include looking at what might happen if we are not successful, snapping off the throttle, and/or braking abruptly as we fear we have "overcooked" it. How many accidents can we point to that result directly from these "inappropriate" rider inputs?
A motorcycle and its suspension also has a remarkable ability to deal with the myriad of road hazards that face us, ranging from road debris to surface irregularities to 4-legged creatures and many others. I can't tell you how many times, mostly in MSF courses, I've been told, "I swerved or braked to avoid a situation (any of the above), lost traction due to contact with the "situation," and crashed. Swerving and braking are wonderful skills that should be honed all possible, however, we face many situations where we simply cannot be sure that these skills can be accomplished in the space or time available. If we're at all uncertain (how can we be certain if it's on 4 legs?), I strongly believe that allowing the motorcycle to contact/surmount is a far safer option than avoidance.
In surmounting, ideally we rise up before contact and maintain or increase throttle until contact. However, if we do nothing other than "ride right through" I believe that we will greatly reduce our risks relative to uncertain evasive actions. If we happen to be in a curve or lean, surmounting can be risky, however, it is usually possible to straighten just prior to contact and after recovery resume the lean. To me, this is much less risky than evasive action in the midst of a lean. Not too many years ago, a m/c drag racer, who at the time held the world's fastest ¼ mi speed, while on a leisurely weekday ride swerved in a curve to miss a critter, lost control, hit a guardrail and died of internal injuries. None of us want to harm critters, but I question that we ever really reduce the risk to the critter w/ late evasive action. And under all circumstances, especially while in a turn, we place ourselves at extreme risk. 1st, we have no idea where they're going or where we should go, so why is any action appropriate? Early braking/slowing where we clearly have time and space is always a preferred alternative, but what do we do when there is not sufficient time or space. This discussion clearly does not cover all the situations we can encounter, but it's plain to me that unless we're certain of our evasive or remedial action, we're usually better off to do nothing but maintain and allow the motorcycle to perform to its capabilities. Inappropriate reactions I believe are far more often the culprit in these situations than are the situation to which we are reacting.
Inappropriate speed and/or inappropriate rider inputs come to the fore in a remarkable number of m/c incidents. The "antidote," in my opinion, is informed, thinking riders. This is just one more element of MTF's STFJR - Safer Touring From Judicious Risk. Ride safe friends!
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