1. Crossings and intersections
A big chunk of motorcycle accidents happen around intersections and crossing, especially on highways. Despite its large size, India is densely populated, which means lots of human settlements along the highways. This is why there are many intersections along the national highways so the villagers and town folks can cross to the other side.
Being a national highway, most motorists are doing high speeds at 100 kmph and beyond. At the same time, these town and village people are not used to such high speeds as they ride or drive mostly in their neighbourhood. So they can just pop-up at intersections without looking or assessing the speed of highway vehicles properly. As a bike rider, the responsibility lies with you that you lookout for people and vehicles crossing these intersections and not crash into them.
In the figure 1 below, the red arrows show the possible places where someone or something can suddenly cross at the intersection. The yellow arrow shows how the cycle on the left could swerve to the right suddenly and turn in front of you without bothering to look behind. Similarly, any vehicle can turn or take a U-turn at an intersection in India without checking for speeding vehicles in the rear.
Figure 1
At intersections, I downshift and keep my bike engine slightly revved up. I do this for a reason. I never approach an intersection at a good speed unless I have scanned both sides first and I am confident about my safety. But, if a person or a vehicle still suddenly comes from either side when I have already entered the intersection then I should be able to quickly accelerate and cross before something hits me.
The lesson to learn here: Whenever you approach an intersection or a possible crossing site, go easy on the throttle and slowdown a bit. Be 200% alert and check both sides and all nearby vehicles and their possible next erratic move. Maintain slightly higher revs at lower gears before entering an intersection. Keep your foot and fingers on the brakes and when everything is clear, accelerate quickly and cross the intersection safely.
2. Braking types
When you take riding classes to ride on a MotoGP circuit, they specifically tell you not to use the rear brake and practice with front braking alone. But you are not a MotoGP rider. Many bikers will read about this and then tell you to use front brake all the time as it carries more stopping power than the rear. But I say, get in the habit of using both rear and front brakes at all times. Even if the rear brake has less stopping power, during panic braking, your subconscious mind will default to what you are used to on a daily basis.
The bike responds best to both braking. Otherwise, you are using the front to stop while the rear continues to roll if you don't pull the clutch back fully. Also, applying the front brake alone at a high speed impacts the overall stability. This can be felt more in bigger and heavier bikes. I also use engine braking to slow the motorcycle before I start applying both brakes. I just let go the throttle or mildly apply both rear and front brakes without pulling the clutch. This helps in bringing my bike from a very high speed to a safe speed in a controlled manner.
The lesson to learn here: Practice using your front and rear brakes together. Moderate (increase or decrease) your front braking according to your braking situation. Use engine-braking as a third way of slowing down your bike before or during the actual braking.
3. Fog riding
I live in Northern India which means I get exposed to foggy conditions in winters—in the city, on highways and while riding on hills. No matter how good a rider you are, riding or driving in fog is a death-wish in India. All riding plans should be dropped when fog sets in. But, if you have to ride in the fog for some reason or you get stuck in fog suddenly while you are out riding then here are some best practices from my own experience riding in the fog:
Buy and install a universal anti-fog film on your helmet visor: Before winter sets in or you go to a cold area on mountains, buy and install any universal anti-fog on your helmet visor. Without an anti-fog, your visor will instantly fog up when you ride in chilly weather or in fog. The temperature difference between the inside of your helmet and outside environment creates fog on the visor due to condensation.If your helmet visor is anti-fog Pinlock-ready then buy and install a Pinlock film on your visor before fog-riding.
Visor up and eyes wide open: I have tried the best of anti-fog films but nothing beats the clarity of naked eyes in fog. When the fog becomes too severe and visibility is terrible then I pull the visor up and look ahead with my bare eyes. Sure, there is a chance of dirty going inside my eyes and the fog can make the eyes watery but visibility gets enhanced.
Use high-visibility clothing and stickers: High visibility clothing not only helps others to spot you at night but during foggy conditions too. Wear high-visibility jacket, pant, shoes, or overcoat during foggy situations. You can also put reflective stickers on your motorcycle or on your helmet and clothing.
Use fog lights: People have a very wrong idea about fog lights. Any yellow light isn't a fog light. Fog lights are supposed to be placed very low near the ground level and are designed to throw a wide and flat light that can cut through the fog. But if you don't have a fog light, yellow light is still better than white light that tends to scatter and reflect back on your eyes as fog is also white in color.
Do not stop on the road in fog: No matter what, do not stop on the road in foggy conditions. Anyone behind you may not have enough time to react and apply brake on time. You run the risk of getting smashed from behind. If you see a stopped vehicle in front of you, do not stop behind it and wait for long. Try to pass it from either sides, if it is safe to do so. For some reason, if you cannot overtake a parked vehicle in front of you during fog, leave the bike with indicator and lights on and get off the road immediately. During the foggy season, vehicle pileups and deaths are common here.
Total blindness due to fog: Imagine you are on the road, you suddenly encounter thick fog and the visibility drops to almost zero. There are a couple of things you can do. You can either push your luck and continue to ride hoping you don't crash into something or you can take the following measures that I usually do:
When the visibility drops to dangerously low levels, I move to the extreme left side of the road and follow the reflection of my bike light from the metal side railing or wall to guide me to the nearest exit.
If I am going straight on the road then I find the white divider lines or the yellow lane line and ride over or near them. Even in dense fog, light reflects back on these lines, which at least tells me that I am maintaining my line and not going to the side. Also, if I can see the lines even a little bit ahead then I can be sure that there is nothing on my way up to that point.
Although it is advisable to slowdown as much as you can in fog, you don't want to be too slow that something hits you from behind. Moderate your speed constantly according to visibility and safety.
Announce your presence: Use your bike's horn to alert others of your presence. But don't overdo that it ends up creating confusion for others.
Avoid fog riding altogether: Know the fog seasons and observe the fog patterns so you know when to avoid riding and how to deal if you get stuck in fog.
Keep distance: In fog, do not ride too closely behind another vehicle to avoid a pile-up. If the vehicle in front of you suddenly stops then you may not have enough visibility and react just in time to prevent a collision.
The lesson to learn here: Do not even plan a ride in foggy conditions. If you are faced with heavy fog during a ride, try to quickly find an exit so you can park it in a safe place till the visibility gets better. If you have no option but to ride in fog then be extremely cautious and be aware of your front, sides and rear at all times. If visibility gets too bad through your helmet visor then open it, naked eyes see the best. Fog usually arrives early morning or at night.
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