Whats More Dangerous?

[zarakand]

Stinking Canadians with their low traffic in Alberta...I say we do like John Candy and mount an invasion!

no traffic during the early evening? man where do you live, here thats when the freeways are parking lots.



WhyteGryphon wrote:
My first ride was a couple spins around the block by my house to get myself aquainted with all the controls, then did a short run through town then onto the highway.

For me, the highway was much more fun and relaxing, but the rides around town were great for the initial learning.

My advice (after taking the MSF course) is to make a few runs around town, then start with some short hops on the highway, preferably in the early evening while you still have light and the traffic is likely to be less. Fewer cagers around to give you grief, and better field of view.

My second day of riding I was commuting the 25km to work, with in town riding at both ends of a nice highway run.

do what you feel the most comfortable with though. If you have an experienced rider with you, that will also help, as they can run interference for you and keep the cagers at a distance.

[9000white]

take a trip of about 100 miles on the freeway--then go back on the backroads--all you will see on freeways is more traffic and exit signs--on the backroads are where the real world is --freeways are only good to get somewhere fast.

[blair]

Almost half of all single-vehicle motorcycle fatalities are the result of failure to control speed in a curve and running off the road (they told us in MSF class).

That's a littler harder to do at lower speeds on city streets. It's more of a high-speed accident category.

70% of all motorcycle accidents are the result of impact with something between front-right and straight-left. People turning left in front of you, or crossing your path from your left, mostly.

Which means the danger is there if you're (a) not skilled at making curves at your chosen speed and (b) not skilled at planning defensive and evasive actions in traffic.

MSF class will help with both. And will get you your M endorsement, the lack of which is associated with the majority of motorcycle fatalities. So the real danger isn't just on the road, it's also in your pocket.

Addendum:
http://www.rpi.edu/~ammonc/cycles.html
links to data showing that the vast majority of motorcycle accidents happen to people who did not learn to ride from professionals. Frankly, armed with that knowledge, I'm willing to start lobbying for laws that mandate certified training before getting endorsed, and huge, well-publicized penalties for riding without an endorsement.

--Blair
"This ain't golf, kids."

[c-los]

Lots of good info. in this thread. I have always heard that most (car) accidents happen within 5 miles of ones home..which would probably make that smaller city or suburban streets, so it makes it seem like the highway is safer....but for cars and motorcycles alike highway speeds are greater and the likelihood for greater bodily harm is that much higher.
I had always been wondering which one was safer for bikers, good post Blair, it seems like city traffic is the most dangerous? No wonder you guys always go on long rides...get away from cars is good!

[sappsTTer]

I got my permit about 6months ago and just got my bike 2 days ago. I'm signed up for my MSF courses. I've been riding around the streets and not on the FWY. I believe the freeway is much safer depending on the fwy. Where I live in the bay area I wouldn't think of getting on the fwy for awhile, the people around here don't give a rat's a$# about anyone but themselves, talking on cell phones, eratic lane chanes, tailgating, passing at +80mhp on both sides, coming into your lane. People are just in such a damn hurry or they just have this attitude that they don't care because there in a car. These are my experiences from being in a car, now getting outside of the bayarea I wouldn't mind doing some freeway driving. On the otherhand I logged about 50miles today on local residential streets and learned alot. Other drivers were actually very respectfull and I saw a number of other riders out and they all waved as they passed really didn't expect this seeing as they were all HD riders and I was on my '84 Honda Sabre. Saw a couple of sportbikes, but all they did was drop down a gear bring up the RPM and take off. As if that was supposed to impress me or something.

[iwannadie]

i really dont see how the freeway could be considered safer than a residential road for learning. sure your going in a straight line, but the speeds are double/triple that of a normal residential road. even if your alone on the freeway theres alot of road hazards that arent on smaller roads. if a new rider sees a huge chunk of blown tire tred in the road chances are they will stare at it get target fixation and hit it. deer run across freeways alot. and if you do lay the bike down theres going to be a car or worse a semi coming along any time at break neck speeds and not see you as your run over. or if you manage to swerve off the road and hit a barrier or simple make if off the side of the road and not be visible from the freeway to get any help.

in a nice residential area the speeds are slow. theres people around in case youll need help. noone should be going crazy fast. your biggest hurdle will be dumb drivers that are going fairly slow. giving you time to react properly and learn from it, not hit the road at 65+mph with a semi running over you.

but oh well if people want to learn on a freeway its there life. but i logged alot of miles on surface roads before going freeway.

[blair]

We may have got the wrong impression from my post.

I'm saying that it's a wash for statistics, but the dangers are different.

On the ribbon, the danger is mostly from mistakes in curves and head-ons with cars passing without seeing you. Unless it's congested urban freeway, then it's dodge-ball.

In the grid, the danger is mostly from people turning left in any of the three trajectories that overlap your right of way. And somewhat from people turning right from your right, and people pulling out from your right.

Which doesn't eliminate the other hundred ways you can collide with something in either situation.

The only truly safe road is a long, straight, empty road, and you should be Searching, Evaluating, and Executing everywhere else. Defensive rather than aggressive. Cautious rather than showy.

--Blair

P.S. I'm going to start a thread about the waving thing. See if there's a code or something.