Will motorcycling kill me?

For many non-riding parents and partners, their greatest fear is their nearest and dearest announcing, with a beaming smile, they’re buying their first motorcycle.

“Oh no you’re not; you'll get yourself killed!” – or words to that effect – is the common response.

But just how likely is their perceived two-wheeled doomsday scenario? And what can you do to put the odds in your favour? Let’s take a look…

Certainly, motorcycle safety is a serious subject. It goes without saying that any road fatality is tragic and we all know motorcycling is overrepresented in road trauma statistics.

And while we should always strive to reduce the risks, the higher rate of accidents is reflective of the sheer nature of riding.

Simply put, and evolutionarily speaking, our fragile bodies were never intended to spear along roads and tracks at three-figure speeds, and were certainly not designed to soak up the forces that result when plans go awry.

Risk is relative and highly subjective. Some people are risk averse while others, like motorcyclists, less so. An acceptable level of risk varies greatly even within the ranks of riders.

However, if the thought of living out your days lying under the bed cocooned in bubble wrap doesn’t appeal, as riders there’s so much we can do to keep ourselves safe on the roads, starting with…

The fact is, it’s what's between our ears that’s our greatest motorcycle safety system. It’s about reading the road ahead, riding for the conditions, and always having a Plan B if things go pear-shaped.

Our egos often push us to ride harder than we’d like – to keep up, to outrun our mates, to prove our skill and to strut around at the next stop like we really should have been in MotoGP all along.

Of course, common sense counts for little if you can’t actually ride a bike, which brings us to…

We’re lumping two concepts together here: actual riding skill – how you physically operate the motorcycle – and road craft, including hazard perception.

Long gone are the days when you rocked up to the police station, filled out the paperwork and rode off into the sunset with your licence.

These days we have pretty comprehensive licencing laws in place around the country, so by the time a learner is let loose on the street he or she should have a basic level of operational competence.

This foundation is then built upon by a provisional licence course, but sadly that’s when the training for all too many riders ends. Honing your motorcycle skills should be a life-long process.

So, if you’re only starting out, once you’ve got a bit of real-world experience under the belt go hunting for an intermediate riding course to lift your game.

And then, later on, do an advanced course – on a training range or on a track, it’s up to you. Then there are off-road courses, race courses – it goes on.

Need some ideas? For starters check out:

There are many more smaller but equally worthy schools out there too, so get to it.

Motorcycle helmets, jackets, gloves, jeans/trousers and boots have come a hell of a long way. You do get what you pay for though, so this is one occasion where splashing out is encouraged. Are you a learner who can’t afford anything more than a helmet after you’ve bought your bike? Buy a cheaper bike!

Look for CE-approved body armour, scour the web for reputable reviews, and don’t be stingy.

And don’t fall into the trap of thinking standard jeans will save your hide – go for Kevlar-reinforced riding jeans, preferably with knee and hip armour.

Sure, taking responsibility for what we wear on the bike is up to us – it comes back to our own level of acceptable risk. Yes, riding in warmer climates makes that tee look pretty darn attractive, but there are some good air-mesh options for bike clobber these days, so take advantage of them.

And what goes for you, also goes for your pillion. They’re putting their safety in your hands – the least you can do is kit them out properly.

It really wasn’t too long ago that even the best bikes wobbled through bends, took ages to pull up, and potentially punished rider error mercilessly.

These days, however, it’s a very different story. Anti-lock brakes, traction control, even IMUs (inertial measurement units) that modulate the sensitivity of these systems according to your angle of lean – we really are a spoilt bunch.

Many bikes have multiple ride modes too, with a rain mode that can dial out a chunk of urge in slippery conditions (when you really don’t need all that go anyway).

Everything has come along in leaps and bounds to protect the rider.

Get a modern bike.

We’ve covered the latest bikes and gear, but let’s spare some consideration for our modern roads too. Compared to 30 or more years ago, our roads are better lit, have more effective lane and boundary markings, and better signage.

Double-deck Armco is making an appearance on some popular bike roads too, and while, as riders, the proliferation of wire-rope (or ‘cheese-cutter’) barriers makes us cringe at the thought of an impact, it does at least prevent dozy on-coming drivers from spearing across the centre-divide with kamikaze intent.

And let’s not forget the advances made with modern cars and trucks, either. Forward collision warning, autonomous emergency braking, rear cross-traffic alert, lane-keeping assistance and blind-spot monitoring – it’s all good news for riders.

The distraction of modern tech for drivers is, of course, the flipside. But with several states now utilising cameras that can detect drivers illegally using their smartphones, maybe this issue is about to turn a corner too.

According to the most recent ABS Motor Vehicle Census, as of January 2019 there were 870,105 registered motorcycles in Australia. Granted, that pales in comparison to the 14,504,148 passenger cars, and not every registered bike is actually getting used, but it’s still a lot of motorcycles.

And according to the Federal Government's National Road Safety Strategy website, there were 1195 fatal road traffic accidents in 2019, of which motorcyclists accounted for 211.

Yes, it’s still a lot of lives touched by tragedy, and there are always more ways we can enhance road safety. But that figure also represents a fall of 19.5 per cent over the baseline established 10 years ago.

So no, chances are that riding a motorcycle won’t kill you.

But there’s a whole lot you can do to keep yourself safe on two wheels, and there’s a lifetime of untold enjoyment, exhilaration, camaraderie and fantastic riding experiences lying in wait.

Okay, we’re biased – but why the hell wouldn’t you ride a bike?

This article was originally published on May 22, 2020.