7 Reasons Motorcycle Riders Make Better Car Drivers

Motorcycles are more difficult to ride than cars. If you are an excellent motorcycle rider, it is possible to become an even better car driver. Riding a motorcycle requires skills and an active mind to operate safely on roads. If you are an expert motorcycle rider, you likely have better road awareness, cognitive ability, quick decision-making skills, and faster response time. This article explains seven reasons why motorcycle riders make better car drivers.

Even if you ride carefully and follow all traffic laws, there is always a risk of getting into an accident due to another driver. Motorcycles are more prone to accidents due to not having accident avoidance systems, seat belts, and airbags. Therefore, riders need to stay alert and scan their surroundings for any hazards on the road. There is also no room for assumptions and uncertainty. Better road awareness helps seasoned motorcycle riders to become better car drivers.

If you ride a motorcycle frequently, you learn to predict what other drivers will do. Relying on intuition rather than observation, you can better prepare to brake or maneuver if other drivers forget to check their side mirrors or slow down to make a turn.

Motorcycle riding involves pulling and releasing the clutch, shifting gears, applying brakes, and looking ahead. Though simple actions, having better clutch and throttle control and knowing when to shift between gears require practice to become a good rider. But to become an experienced rider, you must know how to lean, hang off, counter-steer, corner, and adjust your body’s weight while turning at high and low speeds. Learning how to handle, control, and steer a motorcycle requires lots of practice and learning various skills. Therefore, seasoned motorcycle riders are better at learning new skills that help them learn to drive a car in lesser time.

A motorcycle rider has to be able to make quick decisions in sudden situations. If a pothole, blockade, or obstacle suddenly appears in front of you, you only get a fraction of a second to make a decision. Making an emergency stop and changing lanes abruptly can be dangerous as it may cause you to lose control or collide with other vehicles around you. Make sure to look through the side mirrors, signal other riders approaching from behind when switching lanes, or maneuver safely around obstacles. You must be able to do all of these processes within a short time.

Experienced riders know to check the weather before going out for a motorcycle ride to ensure better safety. It is difficult to ride a motorcycle if it is raining and snowing as it is difficult to steer without slipping. Because motorcycles lack roofs like cars, riders learn how to better determine when to go out for a ride and what riding gear to wear.

Since motorcycles lack safety features, riders have to ride more defensively and be ready to react in case of obstacles or other vehicles. If you anticipate possible threats that come your way while riding a motorcycle, you will be better prepared to avoid them.

A study conducted in 2013 by Equity Red Star states, “Motorcyclists who also owned a car were 23% safer behind the wheel compared to car drivers who did not own a motorcycle.”

A survey conducted in 2015 by Carole Nash Insurance, a motorcycle insurance agency, states, “When it came to road knowledge, motorcyclists were far safer than car drivers in 76% of cases.”

Rebecca Donohue, Head of Marketing at Carole Nash Insurance Company, also added, “More importantly our study revealed that a considerable proportion of car drivers still do not know how to interpret and react to certain everyday road situations involving motorcyclists.”

Riding a motorcycle requires more skill than driving a car. Multiple surveys have confirmed that motorcycle riders have better road awareness, and decision-making skills, and tend to be better car drivers than those who have never ridden a motorcycle before.

As motorcycles have less protection than cars, riders should wear appropriate riding gear and try to ride carefully. If you want to make your motorcycle safe, comfortable, and look cool, Viking Bags has several aftermarket parts available, including sissy bars, crash bars, handlebars, and fairings. Also, if you want to improve your motorcycle’s storage capacity, Viking Bags has different luggage options, including saddlebags and sissy bar bags.