46
Being In Shape To Ride
Riding a motorcycle is a demanding and complex task. Skilled riders pay
attention to the riding environment and to operating the motorcycle, identifying
potential hazards, making good judgments, and executing decisions quickly and
skillfully. Your ability to perform and respond to changing road and traffic
conditions is influenced by how fit and alert you are. Alcohol and other drugs,
more than any other factor, degrade your ability to think clearly and to ride
safely. As little as one drink can have a significant effect on your performance.
Let’s look at the risks involved in riding after drinking or using drugs. What to
do to protect yourself and your fellow riders is also examined.
Why This Information is Important
Alcohol is a major contributor to motorcycle crashes, particularly fatal crashes.
Studies show that 40% to 45% of all riders killed in motorcycle crashes had
been drinking. Only one-third of those riders had a blood alcohol concentration
above legal limits. The rest had only a few drinks in their systems — enough to
impair riding skills. In the past, drug levels have been harder to distinguish or
have not been separated from drinking violations for the traffic records. But
riding “under the influence” of either alcohol or drugs poses physical and legal
hazards for every rider.
Drinking and drug use is as big a problem among motorcyclists as it is among
automobile drivers. Motorcyclists, however, are more likely to be killed or
severely injured in a crash. Injuries occur in 90% of motorcycle crashes and
33% of automobile crashes that involve abuse of substances. On a yearly basis,
2000 motorcyclists are killed and about 50,000 seriously injured in this same
type of crash. These statistics are too overwhelming to ignore.
By becoming knowledgeable about the effects of alcohol and other drugs, you
will see that riding and substance abuse don’t mix. Take positive steps to protect
yourself and to protect others from injuring themselves.
Alcohol and Other Drugs in Motorcycle Operation
No one is immune to the effects of alcohol or drugs. Friends may brag about
their ability to hold their liquor or perform better on drugs, but alcohol or drugs
make them less able to think clearly and perform physical tasks skillfully.
Judgment and the decision-making processes needed for vehicle operation are
affected long before legal limitations are reached.
Many over-the-counter, prescription, and illegal drugs have side effects that
increase the risk of riding. It is difficult to accurately measure the involvement
of particular drugs in motorcycle crashes. But we do know what effects various
