Motorbike Accidents - How To Avoid The 3 Most Common Types Of Accident

By Tom Pearson.

Motorbikes are generally considered to be the most dangerous type of traffic on the road. Each year there are hundreds of motorcyclists killed in motorbike accidents that probably should have been avoided. There is no reason why riding a motorbike should be as dangerous as some people make it. Just by riding sensibly you can actually make it a very safe way of getting around.

A recent report by ROSPA (the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents), which was also supported by the UK Department of Transport, reported the 5 most common types of motorbike accidents on the UK roads. These 5 types of accident will all fit onto one of three categories.

1. Failure to negotiate a bend on a country A-road

In Britain, country A-roads generally have a speed limit of 60mph. You need to remember that this is the speed limit, not the suggested speed. On country roads there can often be some pretty tricky bends which aren't easy to read. Another thing which makes country bends so dangerous is the traffic coming the other way. It is likely that they will also be travelling at close to the speed limit and at very close proximity to you. To make sure you stay safe on these bends you need to be over cautious. If you are in any doubt about which way the bend goes, or how severe it is - just slow down.

2. Collisions

The ROSPA report identified collisions whilst overtaking and at junctions as being amongst the most common types of motorbike accidents. Junctions are mostly dangerous due to motorists not seeing you or your bike. Car drivers will often pull out in front of a bike simply because they didn't see it. In situations like this it is clearly the car driver who is at fault, but if you are on a bike you will definitely come off worse. When you approach a junction just slow down and make sure any cars that are about to pull out have seen you. It is far better to be safe than to risk any sort of accident.

Collisions whilst overtaking could be due to a number of reasons. Mostly they are simply due to the motorcyclist misjudging the size of a gap or their ability to accelerate quickly enough. When you are over taking you have to be certain that you have enough clear space to do so. Also, don't do anything reckless like overtaking around bends. I know, it sounds obvious, but it happens a lot.

3. Loss of control

The third category of common motorbike accidents is a loss of control. On a bike you can lose control for any number of different reasons. Some will be the fault of the rider, some the local council or maybe even car drivers. What you need to remember is that whoever is to blame, it will always be you who has to deal with the results. Watch out for oil on the road, potholes and objects that have fallen from lorries. If you just reduce your speed by a small amount you will make everything a lot safer.

Hopefully, by bringing attention to these common types of motorbike accidents you will be in a better position to avoid them. Each type of accident can be avoided. Just by reducing your speed slightly and paying more attention to the dangers will make riding a bike a lot safer.

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