Best Tips Ever for Staying Safe on the Street
Motocops put more miles riding in the areas where the most motorcycle accidents and deaths happen and yet, proportional to the miles driven, they have only a fraction of the accidents compared with all riders. Why? Because cop training is far longer and more intense than any other rider training. I will explain why I know this is true at the end. Below are the very best tips, techniques and practices. Quinn Redecker, in the September issue of RIDER Magazine, interviewed 4 moto cops and collected what keeps cops alive when riding on the street. I’ve shortened his list to these eleven:
- Always assume cars will steer into you. It’s never if, but when.
- Be ready to stop at any moment. Focus on this like your dog does as he waits for you to throw a stick.
- Anticipate and predict what you expect drivers to do. Keep score and get better at it.
- Ride while calm and lose your ego. Never get angry with a boneheaded driver. Instead, use it as a reminder that you didn’t expect their move and didn’t have a plan.
- Keep your bike in gear at stops so you can get moving immediately.
- In an emergency and faced with a choice of laying a bike down or trying to ride it out, always choose to keep the bike upright and attempt to ride through it.
- Keep your head on a swivel. Threats come from all directions.
- Have a 2-5 minute beginning ride routine: check air pressure, start and walk around bike checking headlights, turn signals and brake lights. Once rolling, do three hard, straight-line emergency brake runs. Now, your bike works, your tires are warmed up and you are ready.
- Never overrun your headlights.
- Always have an escape plan to get out of a potentially dangerous situation.
- Ride as if you are invisible. Pretend Harry Potter’s cloak of invisibility covers you and your bike.
You can find Quinn’s full article here. Having taken Arizona’s Highway Patrol Motor Officer two-week training (which you can read about here) and the Phoenix Police Department moto-officer training (see it here), I know these approaches have contributed significantly to my riding persona.
My good friend and fellow motorcycle writer, Dr. Greg Frazer, wrote to me after reading this and said:
Hi Steve:
Your article re: how motorcycle cops are such great drivers…and today I see one drove into a crown in Palm Springs. IMO, cops are no better on machines than a well trained/survivor civilian …and us racers
Dave Hough and I agree on this: “Motorcycles are designed to kill us. The monkey is on us operators to learn how to manage them.”
Obviously the cop in Palm Springs failed the “Exceptionally Trained Cop Test.” I think there was another that crashed on the Biden escort last year, or before…
I’ve been lucky in my 1,000,000 + miles and 100 + motorcycles…made some serious mistakes….but this head on a swivel “tip” is BS – it’s 99% what’s going on in front of you, not behind you (rare, but 1% or less) that’ll kill you, or your own mistakes.
SIDEBAR: Look at what the German’s have to pay going to driving school before they can drive a “bigger=than 24 hp or 27 %….last time I saw $5,000 + and then a second level and more money. ..same with the Japanese. Us Americans are poorly trained, a freedom I suspect we’ll eventually lose.
I live here in Thailand where they kill 20-30 motorcyclists/day – most by a contact with a car. If’s so often it no longer makes the news unless really splended/bloody. We’re coming upon The Killing Days (Xmas/New Years) 100-200 RIPs – I try to stay off the roads on those days.
Best,
Dr. G.
I replied to him as follows:
Greg,
Sure, I’ll take your “IMO” as fair. But would contrast it with the nearly 75 motocps I’ve known and ridden with. And frankly, I think I know better and have observed more motocop riders than you.
Not every police department has the money and resources to adequately train moto-officers. In fact, one of the classes I attended had an individual who’d been sent to take the class by his city leaders. He’d been doing the work of MotoCop in their town, but never taken any training. They picked him as he was the only officer who had any riding experience.
He was an absolute disaster in the class and washed out after the second day. He couldn’t cut it and would never have passed. But he went back to his city and I assume, continued in that role. I suspect those are the ones you saw in Palm Springs. Translating that observation to all moto officers will lead you to the wrong conclusion.
Head on a swivel is more important if you’re a moto copy patrolling. I should have made that clear. Good catch and I’ll give you that one.
With regards to German riders, I concur as well. But I do think it reenforces my point that vigorous training and frequent requalification’s lead to better riders and fewer accidents.
Motorcycle accident rates per miles ridden are significantly lower in Germany compared to the United States, despite Germany’s reputation for high-speed autobahns. In the U.S., there were 58.33 deaths per 100,000 registered motorcycles in 2019. In contrast, Germany’s fatality rate is much lower, with just slightly more than 11 biker deaths per 100,000 registered motorcycles in 2018.
This stark difference I would attribute to several factors, including Germany’s more stringent training and licensing requirements, the ones you mention, which include:
Licensing: In Germany, obtaining a motorcycle license requires A. Mandatory theoretical and practical classes at a driving school, B. Passing a full theory test, C. Completing 12 mandatory practical hours (5 on country roads, 4 on Autobahn, 3 at night, D. Passing mandatory drills and a 1-hour practical test.
Plus, German motorcycle training is comprehensive and focuses on real-world riding scenarios, including high-speed Autobahn driving. They also insist on continuous education: German riders must regularly update their skills, with courses valid for only 12 months to 5 years, depending on the type of bike they ride.
In contrast, U.S. motorcycle licensing requirements vary by state and are generally less stringent. This difference in training standards likely contributes to the lower accident rates in Germany, as riders are better prepared for various road conditions and situations.
Steve