Why take a motorcycle safety course?
Posted by Mark Parker on Sunday, March 24, 2019 Under: Motorbike Safety
Whether you are an experienced rider or just learning, motorcycle safety is serious business. Keeping safety in mind when riding will make the experience fun for years to come. Since ideally you will be spending many hours on your motorcycle, it is important for you to have a solid foundation.
A motorcycle safety course is designed to teach you to ride safely. Keep in mind that your driving is only a small piece of this. There are many other things that are involved in your safety while riding.
You will learn things like how to properly operate your motorcycle, defensive driving techniques that are unique to motorcycles, preventative maintenance steps that are designed to keep you accident free. You will also learn how to maneuver the motorcycle, along with bad weather driving techniques.
Part of the safety course is to prepare you for the written and skills tests so that you can get a motorcycle license. A bonus of attending the course is that most insurance companies offer a discount to drivers that have completed a safety course.
A good safety course should provide qualified instructors. There should be a specific schedule of what will be covered and when. There should be a specific class limit, so you may have to join a waiting list. Your course should last for several weeks and include actual riding time.
The easiest way to find a course is to check with your local motorcycle sales shops. Since they are always anxious for new customers, they tend to offer the classes more frequently than the local motor vehicle department. If you go through the local motorcycle sales shop, they usually provide the motorcycles that you will be riding - a big plus for anyone considering learning to ride before they buy.
Another good way to find the different safety courses that are offered in your area is to contact the Motorcycle Safety Foundation. They should have a listing of the local places to check if they do not have the actual course dates.
Unless you are an experienced rider and only looking for the insurance benefit, don't be drawn into a low cost course that is only a few hours long. This type of course is a defensive driving course only and will not teach you anything about the basics of riding safety that an experienced rider may have already learned the hard way.
Talk with friends, family members, co-workers or other riders to find out if they have taken an motorcycle safety course. There may be a local course that they would highly recommend, or one that you will tell you to stay away from. This type of referral always makes you feel better about attending.
During the safety course you should learn things like:
- The parts of the motorcycle
- Basic maintenance
- Emergency repairs that you may have to make while on a bike ride
- How the various road conditions can affect your motorcycles performance
- Available safety equipment and how to use it properly
- Defensive driving techniques
The importance of a motorcycle safety course cannot be stressed enough especially since we have all seen how One small mistake can lead to a serious accident.
Even experienced drivers can benefit from this type of course if they have not already taken one. Attending several rallies, it has unfortunately become obvious that even experienced riders do not necessarily know the basics of motorcycle safety. Many pay for it with their lives.
In : Motorbike Safety
Tags: motorbike safety course warrington