Motorcycle safety on Memorial Day weekend

Memorial Day weekend brings out people not only in cars and SUVs, but also on motorcycles. As we alluded to in earlier posts, the volume of traffic on the roads this weekend strongly suggests that the chances of accidents will be higher than usual.

When considering how this will affect motorcycle riders, it is important to know that riders must be more vigilant compared to other times of the year. With that said, we offer some critical safety tips to that can help keep motorcyclists safe.

Be defensively vigilant – More often than not, the driver of a car is at fault in car-motorcycle accidents. Because of this, riders must be wary of cars that may change lanes without signaling or pull out from driveways without looking both ways. Additionally, making sure to keep safe distances from cars can help in giving that extra time to react to hazards.

Wear the proper gear – Yes, Memorial Day weekend is the gateway to summer; but just because the weather is nice, it does not mean that you should abandon the proper gear for riding a motorcycle. So ditch the shorts, flip flops and muscle shirts for riding pants, leather jackets and boots.

Know your bike’s power – If you are riding your new bike for the first time this weekend, perhaps this may not be the best time to do so. Knowing how powerful your bike can be is paramount in being safe. After all, you don’t want to be in an accident because you underestimated how quickly the motorcycle can accelerate.