I have been riding motorcycles for 6
years now. I do not count the riding experience of anything before that because
I didn’t have a driving license then. Roughly more than 60,000 kilometers done
with the two motorcycles I have owned in past. Each kilometer ridden adds to
your experience towards becoming a better rider. However riding in India is not
a cakewalk for riders. Bad roads? Well not really but the bigger threat to
riders is all the elements around which if neglected could make the ride
unsafe. In this article I am just trying to help you all on how to ride a
motorcycle safely in India. I do not consider myself as an expert rider and
this is just what I have learnt over last few years of riding. If you
consciously follow these points while riding I hope it can help you avoid some
accidents on road.
Riding Gear:
Most of us neglect the need of riding gear. To be honest, it
is the most important way to help you stay safe on the road. If you are a
sensible rider and not a maniac, you can easily assume that most of the
accidents happen on the road. In case of a fall or a similar incident, riding
gear is the only thing which can save your head and body or at least reduce the
extent of the damage/injury.
A complete set of riding gear may consist of – a good
quality DOT certified (preferably full face) helmet, riding gloves with knuckle
protection, a riding jacket with in built armor to protect shoulder, elbows and
back, riding pants with thigh protection and in built knee guards, riding shoes
which are at least ankle length.
Now you can buy all this stuff starting from few thousands
rupees to lakhs of rupees depending on the quality of the gear you wish to
purchase. It is always advisable to invest in good quality riding gear (especially
helmet) because they work the best in protecting you in case of a fall or an
accident. You can read about benefits of wearing a helmet from my other post. Also
watch this video to know the importance of buying a good quality helmet,
just imagine if it was your head under that cheap helmet in the video!
You might argue that how can I ride every day and all the
time in full riding gear. Well honestly with Indian weather conditions, you can’t.
However it is advisable to wear minimal riding gear all the time while riding-
full face helmet, gloves, and ankle length boots.
Avoid road rage:
I ride 50 km every day to and from work and believe me I
have seen traffic and people on road at their worst and least sensible behavior.
It’s like people leave their brains in fridge at home before they come out to
drive/ride. Such traffic idiots who do not know how to cross the road, idiots
who change driving lanes suddenly and without indicating etc. might become the
cause of an accident! These idiots get on your nerves and you wish you could
just kill them right away. However I have learnt that it is best to not to
argue with such idiots and keep riding away with a calm mind. #OmShanti
You will also meet some maniacs on road every day who will
try to race with you. Even if you ignore them completely they will not stop
teasing you by riding madly around you trying to prove I don’t know what. When
I was returning from my Ride to Kolli Hills I met such an idiot on
road. The problem with such idiots is that they think just because you are in
full riding gear and riding a decent machine, you are trying to race with them.
He kept riding along me in a mad way as if he was a circus artist. He even
provoked me to race and kept following me till my home! LOL! I did not utter a
single word and kept riding at my own speed as if he didn’t exist. Such jobless
assholes!
AVOID SUCH IDIOTS AND LET THEM GO.
Look for unexpected
elements:
While riding in city or on highways you must always be
alert. Unexpected elements such as a dog or a cow might appear out of nowhere
on the road making you panic brake. Panic braking might lead to skidding if
your tyres are worn out and this might lead to a fall if you fail to control
your bike. While cruising on the highways always maintain a speed comfortable
enough for you to handle the bike even if you have to brake hard at times.
Other unexpected elements could people turning up on road
out of the bushes, and again..out of nowhere. Cars and bikes changing lanes
suddenly could also disturb your riding and giving you a jolt. Then another
important area where you have to be extra careful are the junctions on the
highways and the streets joining in the highways. You will see cars entering
the highway from these streets with the largest turning radius possible without
paying heed to the incoming traffic from behind. They end up taking up your
line of riding in the road making you apply brakes hard. Again, no fault of
yours but your safety was at risk. Always slow down at the junction and such
streets joining the highways.
Changing lanes:
Believe it or not one of the biggest irritating and even a
safety risk factor are the people turning left/right without indicating. Same
for changing lanes. They never use rear/side view mirrors or the turn
indicators on their vehicle.
Such people make me feel that if automobile companies do not
fix the turn indicators and rear/side view mirrors in the vehicles, they will
save so much cost. People don’t use these things anyways. Always use turn
indicators 20-30 meters before you are going to turn. Use rear view mirrors. Do
not ride in the blind spot of mirrors of other vehicles. People who use
rear/side view mirrors can’t see you if ride close enough in the range of blind
spot to the vehicle. See the pic below to understand this.
Use intuition:
Sometimes on the road you have to rely on your intuition, to
predict the traffic around you. Such as the bus moving in front of you, will it
turn left or go straight? If you knew this you would plan your lane change and
vary speed accordingly. But the bus driver hardly cares to indicate. Look at
the bus number, see the route where it is going. If you ride on the same road
every day you should be aware of such things by now. This way you can guess
whether the bus will turn or go straight.
People on road on two wheelers tend to look to their sides whether
someone is coming from behind, instead of looking in their rear view mirrors. When
this happens I always slow down because this means that guy is going to change
lanes!
Some other
points:
Slow down at speed breakers, they are there for a reason.
Ride with your headlights on. Even if its day time switching
on your headlight increases your visibility on the road for the people in front
of you whether they are driving in same or opposite direction. A headlight on
is more visible in the rear view mirrors of the cars and hence they are aware
of your presence on the road. However during night time riding with high beams
could blind the other guys coming on two wheelers from the opposite and hence a
risk to yourself. Nobody likes to be blinded by the stupid high beams.
Do not mess with the truck drivers on the highways. One
small turn of their steering could prove fatal for you. Whenever overtaking
these trucks always honk enough to show them your presence.
Always keep your bike in fully functional condition. Get the
brake pads checked. Pay attention to the life of tyres and know when it’s time
to change them. If possible, invest in a bike which comes with ABS (Anti-Lock
Braking System). I ride a bike with ABS and believe me it’s a life saver. ABS
is a safety feature in a motorcycle prevents wheel locking when brakes are applied
hard and all of a sudden. Anyone riding a bike with ABS will agree with me on
this! Always apply both the brakes. Applying both the brakes reduces the
braking distance considerably.
And last…respect the traffic rules.
Well this is all I have on riding a bike safely in India. If
you think I missed out on an important factor please let me know in the comments!
Keep Riding. Ride Safe.
(All the pics above are sourced from Google :P)
