Motorcycle Accidents On Rural Roads

The reason why motorcycle accidents happen on rural roads is that riding on open road in the rural countryside has many risks. If the rider has the limited ability it will certainly play a part in their vulnerability. Trying to keep up with more experienced riders and succumbing to peer pressure will put them in greater danger of becoming involved in a high-speed accident.

Statistics show that riding on the open road has a high percentage of motorcycle accidents second to urban riding. There is a common phrase that highlights this individual problem. The emergency services refer to this as a single vehicle accident, when only the rider and their machine are involved.

Motorcycle accidents on rural roads can be avoided with high level education, training and practice.

Thrill seekers

One of the inherent dangers is when new riders seek the thrill and adventure of riding on twisty roads.

These types of roads are widely discussed and written about in every motorcycle magazine and editorial because riders want to have more excitement banking over in a quest for speed and exhilaration. Most of us are adrenaline junkies underneath the leathers.

The problem is that many new riders lack the skill and ability to ride quickly on these types of roads.

When you consider the type of riding a learner actually does. In almost every instance they are hardly prepared for the type of riding they really want to do after they pass the basic motorcycle test.

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Peer pressure

Peer pressure has a lot to do with the way most people ride, you hear people say things like ‘ride it like you stole it’ and ‘how fast did you take that bend’.

The truth is you should ride within your ability level, but amongst riders, they judge their and other riders ability on how fast they can ride.

What generally happens is riders go slow through corners, frightened that they are going to fall off and then to catch up and make up for lost ground go far too quickly on the straight. There is absolutely no skill in opening the throttle as far as it will go in a straight line, you could train a monkey to do that.

Cornering and overtaking account for many accidents on the open road, rural riding can be fun and is a great reliever of the ‘day to day stresses’ of life. It can be used as someone’s ‘tonic’ to spend a few hours enjoying the freedom of being alone and at one with your machine.

Not taught early on

However, cornering and overtaking carry a huge percentage of risk. As these areas of detail are not covered in depth during a basic motorcycle training program to pass a motorcycle test.

How is someone expected to know these skills?

It means that riders often practice by trial and error, especially if they do not seek further professional guidance. Unfortunately, these learning errors mean a high percentage of risk. The danger is added to the rider as they practice the wrong thing and can sometimes end in a serious accident. If you are lucky you get to walk away, we won’t mention other scenarios here!!

The consequences of your attitude to risk will certainly have a profound ending if you see riding on the road and keeping up with other riders as fun, or showing them how fast you are capable of riding.

If you have an attitude of ‘Keep it on the Black Stuff’ and show some respect to the road, you are on the right road to improvement. You should always stay within your ability at all times, you’ll live to ride another day.

Is it boring or necessary?

Advanced motorcycle training might sound boring, but why do you think police motorcyclists go through stringent courses to improve their skills?

They are not amongst the best riders in the world by chance. Their actual ability is a result of extremely tough training, education with high-level feedback, and guidance. They also undergo continual assessments and regular Continual Professional Development training days.

They practice and set good foundation skills. They practice a lot, normally at a slower speed to set the skills first. Then as they improve, the speed becomes a byproduct of their riding style, technique and skill.

If it’s good enough for the best riders in the world to practice and hone good skills, then you have a chance to improve yours with the right mind set.