We have been warned against riding fast on roads but what about riding slow or too slow? Also, most two-wheeled motorists ride too close to large trucks and buses without caring about being in their blind spot. Let's look at some of the hazards that most bikers ignore.
1. Riding at a slow speed can get you killed as much as speeding can
Of course, riding too fast can get you killed if you make a mistake or something else goes wrong, so does riding too slow. This statement may vary country-to-country and region-to-region. Here, I am talking about India.
As many bikers die from hitting other vehicles or structures in front of them, more could be dying from being slow in front of a fast or large-moving vehicle. You should neither be too slow nor too fast on Indian roads—both kill.
As a personal choice, I always keep my motorcycle speed a little faster than the rest of the traffic. If someone drives or rides too close to me or behind me, I either speed away or let them pass. I have my own reasoning for doing this.
Come back soon and click here to read my in-depth article on why slow speed probably kills more bikers in India than speeding.
The lesson to learn here: Riding too slow on Indian roads is as dangerous as riding too fast. Always modulate your speed according to the speed of other vehicles around you. If you want to ride slow, make sure you are constantly checking your rear traffic flow too.
2. Stay away from large wheels
Perhaps, this is one of the most important lessons to learn if you want to ensure that you don't get killed like a cockroach (getting crushed on the floor). For this, you must fear and respect the large wheels of big vehicles like trucks and buses. Why? If you fall from a bike and hit the road hard breaking a few bones, you can still get surgery done and recover after a few weeks or months. But, if you go under the wheel of a 10-ton vehicle, you will become a thin salami (between sandwich slices) in no time. There is no coming back from that.
Always stay away from large wheels, do not go near them at all costs. Always stay away from a truck/bus driver's blind spot. Never overtake between two large vehicles with exposed tires. Before you overtake large vehicles, always ensure there is an entire empty lane on the side of the moving truck. Always alert the truck/bus driver of your presence instead of blindly shooting past them closely.
This is such an important aspect of road safety that I want to dedicate an entire article on this topic. Come back soon to check this space.
The lesson to learn here: Avoid large tires of large vehicles like you would avoid a plague. Never overtake big buses and trucks blindly without enough buffer for you to pass safely. Stay away as far as possible from large tires—on their side or in front of them. Either quickly overtake after alerting the driver or wait till a wide overtaking opportunity opens up.
3. Stay outside the blind spots of other drivers and riders
Motorcyclists and car drivers will always have blind spots, whether it is in their rearview mirror or around a corner/turn where they cannot see other riders and drivers. Most rearview mirrors on motorcycles have a limited field of view of what's behind them. If someone is slightly behind on either side then it is difficult to spot them in the rearview mirror.
It also depends on how you adjust the rearview mirror, the quality, and size of the mirror. Some cover more area than the other. So, if you don't see anyone in the rearview mirror, do not assume that you are free to make a sudden and sharp turn to either side or switch lanes. There could be another bike or a car slightly behind you on the side. This situation gets even more difficult when you only have a fraction of a second to look behind and check, before making a turn ahead.
Similarly, you don't want to get in the blind spots of other vehicles, especially trucks or buses. You don't want to overtake them suddenly from their blind spot. If they do not see you on their side and they suddenly decide to turn just when you are also overtaking them then the chances of you getting hit goes up. This problem gets exaggerated with tall vehicles like trucks and buses as their blind spots can be very close to their huge tires. And, you don't want to be anywhere near their tires while they make a turn or switch lanes.
The lesson to learn here: Firstly, use the indicator much in advance before taking a turn or switching lanes (although this doesn't always help). Secondly, after you check your rearview mirror, if it is not risky then quickly turn your head to the side you want to turn and look to the side and behind (as much as your periphery vision allows you to see). Thirdly, never turn suddenly, always do it slowly so that even if there is a car or bike in your blind spot then they have enough time to honk and alert you or brake to avoid hitting you.
In case, you are in someone else's blind spot (on their side or behind) then use the horn (or flash high beam) to announce your presence to the driver or rider ahead of you. If you are behind a truck or bus then move outside of its blind spot immediately and look at the driver's sideview mirror and honk or flash the light till the driver has noticed you and then only overtake. This prevents them from accidentally sandwiching you between their vehicle and the side wall.
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