Be Prepared. Be Protected.
You’re no kid and that’s no 10-speed. To stay safe, you need complete command of your motorcycle and the best safety gear you can get. Next time you’re heading for the highway, keep in mind these helpful motorcycle safety tips.
1. Use Safety Gear
Your motorcycle insurance policy covers up to $3,000 in custom parts and equipment. Any time you buy new leathers or safety equipment or customize your bike, contact your agent so they can update your limits.
2. Wear a Helmet
Motorcycle riders not wearing a helmet are forty percent more likely to sustain a fatal head injury in a crash than a rider with a helmet.* A National Highway Traffic Safety Administration study reports that “helmets saved 1,630 motorcyclists’ lives in 2013, and that 715 more could have been saved if all motorcyclists had worn helmets.”* Buy a full-face helmet for the best protection for your head and eyes. Wear other protective gear as well: heavy leather or synthetic gloves, long pants and jacket, and over-the-ankle leather boots.
3. Be Visible
In a crash, the SUV wins. When cars and motorcycles collide, it’s usually because the driver of the car failed to see the cyclist. With more SUVs on the road, it’s even more critical to take extra steps to become more visible. Use your headlamps—both night and day—and wear yellow, red or orange jackets to make yourself easier to see. Make a point of positioning yourself in your lane for visibility.
4. Take a Safe Riding Course
One out of four motorcycle drivers involved in a fatal crash in 2013, were driving with invalid licenses.* More than ninety percent of riders involved in accidents haven’t taken a formal motorcycle driving course. Get to know your bikes capabilities, like how it performs on a curve or slick roads, and you will become a much safer rider. Errors like over-braking, driving too fast and under-cornering are major factors in most solo mishaps.
Most insurance companies offer discounts to riders who attend a Motorcycle Safety Foundation safe riding course or are active in one of twenty-four approved groups that promote safe riding. You do both and you could save up to fifteen percent.
5. Ride Sober
Driving impaired is more deadly for cyclers than other drivers. In fact, more than half of all motorcycle deaths occur when the rider has been drinking.
R.C. Keller & Company is a full serviced Trusted Choice Insurance Agency. We have protected the residents and businesses of Schaumburg and Park Ridge since 1910. We offer a full array of personal insurance, business insurance and life insurance products. Call us for free quote today at 847-907-4520.
* Source: NHTSA’s 2013 Traffic Safety report on Motorcycles.