Riding your motorcycle, whether new or your existing one, is an exciting experience. It brings both physical and mental benefits, including a better cognitive function and a positive function. Riding your bike also strengthens your neck and core, burns extra calories and eliminates the need for squats.
To minimize the dangers associated with bike accidents, you must always keep safe while on the road. Some of the top safety measures to consider include wearing helmets when riding the bike. There are, however, some unrealistic safety myths that you should ignore when using your motorcycle. Read on to understand some of them:
1. Lane Splitting Is Always a Safe Practice
Lane splitting involves riding your bike between rows or lanes of stationary or slow traffic. While you may view it as a trick to saving time, it is unsafe for you and other motorists. Some reasons that make the practice dangerous include the limited space between the drivers, the possibility of the cyclist ending up in a blind spot and lower ability to avoid collisions. The next time you think about using this trick in slow or stationary traffic, think about the stated dangers besides the frustrated drivers sitting in traffic.
2. Full-Face Helmets Block Peripheral Vision and Impair Hearing
As a good cyclist, your helmet should always sit on your head, firm and sturdy. The myth about full-face helmets blocking your peripheral vision and impairing your hearing results from different causes. One of the significant reasons includes choosing the wrong helmet. You can easily find a proper helmet by looking through an online bike shop. The right helmet should allow you 105 degrees of peripheral vision on both sides. Moreover, it protects your eyes and ears, safeguards you from excess wind and discards the engine noise to ensure excellent concentration.
3. Slow Streets Are Safer
There is another myth that presents silent streets as safer compared to busy highways. What would happen if every cyclist believed the myth and kept accelerating in such streets? With all bikes at their maximum speed, it would be difficult to control your bike in case of an emergency. The outcome would be a severe crash with severe results. The case would be different on the busy highways where you should consider pedestrians, cross and traffic lights, among other factors.
4. Laying Your Bike Down Will Slow Your Speed Enough to Avoid a Crash
Almost every cyclist has heard that laying their bike down will slow their speed to prevent a crash. This is one of the most dangerous myths as it can easily lead to catastrophic injuries most of the time. Rather than protecting you, laying your high moving bike before a crash deprives you of control over the motorbike, making you susceptible to a crash. You eventually hit other motorists, cars and anything else on-site at high speed leading to severe injuries.
5. Good Riders Never Need to Practice with A New Bike
A new bike comes with multiple significant changes that you should familiarize yourself with in advance for your safety and other road users. Like a new phone, computer or any other tool, new bikes require lots of practicing for familiarity. Everyone should always practice with a new bike before hitting the road, regardless of their cycling skills and experience.
Riding your motorcycle is an exciting and beneficial task. You should, however, research to understand all the safety measures and myths that you should ignore. Keeping safe means protecting both you and other road users. Always prioritize road safety for everyone else. If you are planning to buy a new bike, you should consider an online bike sale besides the offline ones.