Protect Your Motorcycle Freedom

Motorcycles are a great way to see the country side.  Cruising down the road with the wind in your hair and nothing but the open road between you and happiness.  Motorcycles express the American dream in ways we feel deep in our collective souls: independence, rebel, free spirit.

Learning to be safe on a motorcycle should be the first step.  Indiana requires a rider to obtain a special license to ride a cycle.  Riders are encouraged to take a special course to learn the tricks and the dangers in riding.  ABATE offers a great class.

Most collisions or crashes between a cycle and a car occur because the driver of the car does not see the motorcyclist.  This happens when a car makes a turn across a cycle’s path, pulls out in front of the cycle or changes lanes when the cycle is in the car’s blind spot.  To avoid being put in this danger as a motorcyclist, you must always assume that you cannot be seen and ride defensively.  Your headlight must always be on.  Fortunately headlights today automatically come on when the cycle is started.  We are seeing dual headlights and flickering headlights which draw a car driver’s attention to the light.  Even with these aides you must drive within the speed, limit, pass only in passing zones, maintain a safe distance between cars, etc.

Even though a helmet is unpopular with many riders, it is an essential piece of safety equipment. One spill on the bike, with no helmet makes it likely that the old melon ( your head) is going to hit the pavement.  There is only a small piece of bone and a couple shear pieces of tissue between your brain and the pavement.  There is no cure for a brain injury.  The only way to deal with it is to avoid it.  You only have one brain, so protect it.  Protect it, if not for yourself, then for your lover, your child, your mom or dad, but protect it.  Be safe, wear a helmet.