PREPARING TO RIDE
5
What you do before you start a trip goes a long way toward determining
whether or not you’ll get where you want to go safely. Before taking off on any
trip, a safe rider makes a point to:
1.
Wear the right gear.
2.
Become familiar with the motorcycle.
3.
Check the motorcycle equipment.
4.
Be a responsible rider.
WEAR THE RIGHT GEAR
When you ride, your gear is “right”
if it protects you. In any crash, you have
a far better chance of avoiding serious
injury if you wear:
I
A DOT compliant helmet.
I
Face or eye protection.
I
Protective clothing.
Helmet Use
Crashes can occur — particularly
among untrained, beginning riders.
And one out of every five motorcycle
crashes results in head or neck injuries.
Head injuries are just as severe as neck
injuries — and far more common. Crash
analyses show that head and neck
injuries account for a majority of serious
and fatal injuries to motorcyclists.
Research also shows that, with few
exceptions, head and neck injuries are
reduced by properly wearing a quality
helmet.
Some riders don’t wear helmets
because they think helmets will limit
their view to the sides. Others wear
helmets only on long trips or when
riding at high speeds. But, here are
some facts to consider:
I
A DOT-compliant helmet
lets
you see as far to the sides as
necessary. A study of more than
900 motorcycle crashes, where
40% of the riders wore helmets,
did not find even one case in which
a helmet kept a rider from spotting
danger.
I
Most crashes happen
on short
trips (less than five miles long), just
a few minutes after starting out.
I
Most riders
are riding slower than
30 mph when a crash occurs. At
these speeds, helmets can cut both
the number and the severity of head
injuries by half.
No matter what the speed, helmeted
riders are three times more likely to
survive head injuries than those not
wearing helmets at the time of the
crash. The single most important thing
you can do to improve your chances of
surviving a crash is to wear a securely-
fastened, quality helmet.
Helmet Selection
There are two primary types of
helmets, providing two different levels
of coverage: three-quarter and full face.
Whichever style you choose, you can
get the most protection by making sure
that the helmet:
I
Is designed to meet U.S.
Department of Transportation
(DOT) and state standards. Helmets
with a label from the Snell Memorial
Foundation also give you an
assurance of quality.
I
Fits snugly,
all the way around.
I
Has no obvious defects
such as
cracks, loose padding or frayed
straps.
