Jeremy's Handy Hints Why We Crash How to avoid crashing in three easy lessons.
Jeremy Bowdler No rider ever wants to talk about crashing; it’s a there but for the grace of god thing. Most of us have crashed at some stage, some didn’t make it out the other end. It’s something we all accept, but would rather ignore.
Meanwhile, in the corridors of power, it is not being ignored. It’s being dissected, pored over, discussed, argued and legislated. A policy of zero tolerance for the road toll would see the removal of scooters and motorcycles from the road and from us. We need a middle path.
Crash and fatality statistics for riders are on the improve, based upon the number of powered two-wheelers (PTWs) sold and registered, but are relatively static in absolute terms. That means while more of us are riding and more safely, we still see about the same number dead and injured each year. This trend is set against the figures for car drivers, where safer vehicles contribute to a reduction in crashes, injuries and fatalities in a way that won’t happen for riders at the same rate. ABS and traction control certainly help, but we are still vulnerable in the event of an accident.
What can we do? Learn to ride better, crash less often, wear better gear, spend less time in hospital and not die. A tall order? Of course. Here are some steps to make it easier.
Just me and my scoot
Bizarrely, 35 per cent of single-vehicle PTW crashes occur on straight roads. WTF? Note that’s not taking into account road hazards or hitting an object or an animal. It’s just you, your ride and a straight bit of road. Half of all single-vehicle PTW crashes occurred on curves, with road surface hazards identified as a contributing factor in 21 per cent of single-vehicle crashes, 27 per cent of singlevehicle crashes on curves and in 14 per cent of fatal crashes on curves.
Some 13 per cent of riders in single-vehicle accidents were assessed as having been fatigued and this figure rises to 19 per cent for the fatals. In addition, collisions with roadside furniture without road hazards or animals. Of course, with fatals, you’re never going to get to the bottom of the crash – though forensic analysis can come close (within limitations) – but you’d have to expect a combination of speed, fatigue and poor road surface as the principal issues.
We’d toss in the possibility of the rider having taken evasive action before crashing as well. Is it a single-vehicle accident when you run off the road avoiding a 4WD doing a three-point turn just over the crest of a hill?
How to avoid a single-vehicle PTW accident
○ Ride only as fast as you can see
○ Ride only as far as you can see
○ Ride to the conditions, not the speed limits
○ Scan the road for poor surfaces
○ Don’t ride when you’re tired
○ Anticipate problems and leave a safety margin
○ Enrol for a rider training course
Sorry mate, I didn’t see you
In multi-vehicle crashes, the other driver was at fault (technical term: key vehicle) in 62 per cent of the recorded data. Half of these saw the were involved in 36 per cent of all PTW single vehicle crashes and in 55 per cent of fatalities. he kicker in this case is that, yes, speed was a defining characteristic. In single vehicle PTW accidents – which make up 40 per cent of PTW crashes – almost half (and 82 per cent of the fatals) involved excess speed for the conditions. Note, that is not necessarily riding faster than the speed limit, it is riding too fast to save yourself from an accident or death.
Statistics are, of course, malleable and flawed inasmuch as they depend on accurate, consistent data retrieval. But these figures are as good as it gets and, with interpretation, may be able to make us all better, safer riders. Crashes on curves are easily explained. Patchy surface, brain fade, too fast, wrong line, unsighted hazards. You’d expect all of this stuff, which is why the mantra of never riding faster or further than you can see begins to make sense.
It’s very easy to forget it and to ride according to what you expect or think should be around the bend, but that’s why half of all single-vehicle PTW accidents happen in these circumstances. The hardest part is to explain how 35 per cent of this type of crash occurs on a straight road, safer vehicles contribute to a reduction in Failing to give way to another vehicle. Sorry
mate, I didn’t see you? Are we the pot calling the kettle black? I’d suggest a couple of other scenarios. Firstly, the one above about acting on a decision without updating the information. We all do this to some degree. There was a case where a girl was crossing a road. A rider saw her step out on his right and moved left to avoid her. She kept crossing and he hit her in the lefthand lane. It was almost as if he had aimed. He’d seen her, had taken evasive action by aiming at the spot that was clear when he made the decision, rather than calculating that by the time he arrived on the crossing their paths would intersect. If he had simply kept riding at the same pace in the same direction he would have missed her.
This is the kind of thing that increases with brain fade and brain fade increases with fatigue. We don’t, as riders, have Karl Kruzelnicki’s famous microsleeps and nod off at the ’bars; we just make bad decisions. The end result is the same. But the scariest of all the rider at fault data is that rear-enders are our most popular accident, at 30 per cent. We all know that, compared with car drivers, our machine skills are greater, our reaction times quicker, our braking control more delicate but, apparently, we also forget to count to three and that, no matter how inexperienced, a driver with four tyres and ABS available just has to stamp on the brakes and it’s all over for us. Unless you want to join them in the front seat.
How to get home safely
○ Leave plenty of room in front of you. Just accept they can brake better.
○ In corners, it’s in slow and wide, out fast and narrow
○ Crashing on a left-hand corner puts you in the path of oncoming traffic
○ Re-evaluate your decisions constantly to takeinto account changing conditions
○ Don’t ride tired. Make sure you’re alert, especially heading back into the city late afternoon after a day of fun in the mountains.
○ Enrol in another rider training course
This piece grew out of a seminar into motorcycle accidents and forensic analysis hosted by the George Institute in Sydney as well as the release of the excellent new motorcycle safety strategic plan from the MCC of NSW, Positioned for Safety 2010, and draws heavily on the writings of Guy Stanford, Brian Wood and Liz de Rome (and particularly on her amazing depth of knowledge and statistical work). Thanks for the help, one and all.
THE DIRTY DOZEN
Alcohol: Riders are two and a half times more likely to have illegal blood alcohol levels than car drivers in crashes (though unlicensed riders are over-represented). Just take a taxi, okay?
Fatigue: More than one-third of PTW crashes occur on the weekend and 15 per cent of fatalities are on Saturday and Sunday afternoon and evening, when riders are heading home after a day’s ride. Fatigue leads to bad decisions and bad decisions lead to problems.
Excessive speed: Inappropriate speed is identified as an issue in 24 per cent of PTW crashes (compared with 10 per cent of car crashes). The jury is out on the methods used to ascertain these figures since the dynamics of single-track vehicles are rarely taken into account, particularly in terms of road surfaces with poor traction.
Curves: Crashes on curves are most likely to be the fault of the rider, even when another vehicle is involved. Research has suggested that road surface and rider error in braking and cornering are more important than speed as contributing factors.
Rear end collisions: Almost one in five of all multi-vehicle crashes, and we hit them more than they hit us. Hang back a bit. Lane-changing side-swipes: Some 79 per cent are due to the other driver, and most take place in left-hand corners or when the car is changing lanes to the left. Poor mirror positioning and use are obvious culprits as is inattention. It’s up to you not to sit in a vulnerable position, and to be aware of the peril at your right shoulder in traffic.
Right of way violations: The scary one. Sorry, mate, I didn’t see you. Take extra care at Tintersections and crossroads. Make eye-contact.
Inattentional blindness: If you’re not expecting to see it, you won’t see it. And you’ll turn in front of it. One for the drivers.
Driver expectation: Drivers who neither ride PTWs nor know a rider are over-represented in car/PTW crashes. No, really. See above.
Conspicuity: If you’re hard to see, you’re hard to see. Conspicuity means more than just bright colours and lights-on. The background, your positioning and the above two points all play a part.
Driver distraction: Mobile phones, passengers, kids, DVDs, smoking, eating and having sex while they’re driving. Is it any wonder we give them a wide berth?
Road conditions: Sand, diesel, overbanding, steel plates, potholes, Armco, wire-rope fencing, trees, poles, bus shelters... It’s a war zone out there.
WHEN IT ALL GOES WRONG
Sometimes crashes happen in slowmotion, with every detail unfolding before your eyes in an almost freeze-frame calm before normal service is resumed as soon as you hit the ground. At other times, it’s over before you realise it’s begun. And then the pain kicks in.
Despite all the fuss, crashing isn’t so bad if ... you don’t hit anything. With proper protective gear, you can slide a long way before anything starts to burn or wear through.
On the road there is just too much furniture to hit. If you have crashed, it’s a good idea to relax as much as possible. A tense body will get more badly injured than a loose one. Let go of the scooter. Inertia will mean it will go a lot further than you. And you don’t want to be a part of that, especially if it starts rolling.
Try to get on your back and lift your head if you’re sliding so you can see where you’re going and, with a bit of luck, steer away from obstacles.
Once you stop (and you’ll only try to get up while you’re still moving once) take a quick stock of your condition. If you’re in danger of getting run over and you’re able, move to the side of the road. Otherwise play it by whatever injuries you have. Remember you may not be the best qualified person to make a decision.
Don’t worry about the scooter. I know it’s hard, but you’re more important. If you’re in any doubt, get checked outat hospital or by a doctor. We need all the readers we can keep.
RESOURCES
There are many resources available to riders, if you know where to look; and, while most are tailored for motorcyclists, there is still an awful lot of stuff that is relevant for scooter riders as well. The few we quote here are from our experience over the years, but this is by no means an exhaustive list.
By searching the websites of your local state transport body, you may uncover material that is specific to your region or, by searching more widely you may find information of more general application.
Motorcycle Council of NSW: the website has a mass of information for riders (not just from NSW and not just motorcyclists) and is particularly strong on protective equipment.
<www.mccofnsw.org.au>
The NSW RTA has a new motorcycle handbook, recently updated with a lot of input from former rider trainer and buffering guru Duncan McRae. The handbook is available as a free pdf download, but much of the riding information is also available online in the motorcycle safety part of the site.
<www.rta.nsw.gov.au>
Victoria’s TAC has another site worth visiting. There you’ll find more tips and techniques, as well as a chance to get a RIDE Smart interactive CD with about five hours worth of good motorcycle content.
<www.tac.vic.gov.au>
Keith Code’s Twist of the Wrist series of rider training books are well known and widely available and for a southern hemisphere point of view, the New Zealand Motorcycle Safety Consultants series The Secret Skills of Motorcycle Riding written by Allan Kirk are well worth searching out. Level 1, 2 and 3 of the series are available, with 4, 5 and 6 in production. There is also a long list of pamphlets dealing with specific riding skills available.
<www.megarider.com>
But, despite the wealth of printed and electronic material, there is no substitute for real live rider training. Get out there and try it. You’ll have fun, make new friends and become a better rider.
published 24/05/2009 |