Just how safe is it to ride a motorcycle?
I have always been terrified of motorbikes. My parents were strict when it came to them, basically, I was, under no circumstance, allowed on one. But yet, so many people choose to ride them.
So I decided to chat to a professional motorcycle instructor to educate myself on all things ‘bike riding!’ Hendrik Bosman is the founder and chief instructor of HB’s Advanced Rider Training Academy and he took the time to explain to me that it is not bikes that are the problem, but both riders and drivers as well as the laws of South Africa.
WOW: Tell us a little about yourself and how long you have been involved with motorbikes.
I’ve been involved with motorcycles per se since I was in Standard five (1965) on a very random basis. When I turned 50 in 2004 I decided that it was time to get involved full time. Then eight months later I crashed my first motorcycle. This was entirely my fault as I tried to be safe but took the incorrect actions. I then started looking for professional training to remedy the situation. What I found was only one motorcycle manufacturer that provided training.
This training was of very low quality but the only training available at the time. I then started reading books on motorcycle training. As one cannot learn riding a motorcycle by reading books alone I started looking overseas. Since then I’ve spent more than R150 000 on specialised training in the USA, UK and Italy. In actual fact I`ve just returned from Italy where I have undergone training with the best instructors the Ducati Motorcycle Corporation can provide. Some of these have been instructors to past world champion racers.
I’m one of the original founders of the THINK BIKE Awareness Campaign in 2005. Currently I’m the only internationally trained and certified motorcycle rider instructor and I’m the only South African to hold the UK Government’s Diploma in Advanced Rider Instruction.
WOW: I think my biggest fear about motorbikes is being hit by a speeding car. Just how safe is it to ride a motorbike on South African roads?
Riding a motorcycle in any country is not really less safe but is more a question of vulnerability. In the case of a crash the motorcyclist will always come off worse than the car driver or its occupants even when the motorcyclist was legally correct. This brings me to how to avoid being hit by a speeding car. Always be aware of what is happening around you and what you think may happen at any point in time. The best way to do this is by taking professional training with a well qualified instructor.
WOW: Do you think South African drivers do enough to avoid accidents with motorcyclists?
Personally I don’t think that South African drivers are “out to get
motorcyclists”. It is more a question of distracted driving and as the
current curriculum for car driver training goes it does not even begin to make drivers aware of the dangers that cars pose to motorcyclists. It is more a question of ignorance than anything else.
WOW: What is the advice you could give us car drivers when it comes to sharing the road with motorbikes?
The first issue is the issue of motorcycle size. Car drivers don`t
look out for motorcyclists because they are only, subconsciously, looking for other objects (vehicles) that are the same size as cars or bigger. My first bit of advice is to switch on your lights and use your indicators. (Not everybody seems to realise it but luxury cars also have indicators ;)) Then actively look out for motorcycles.
WOW: One of my issues with some motorcyclists is that they drive between the lanes and at quite a speed. Is this legal? And surely, even if it is, it cannot be safe for the motorcyclist or the car driver?
First of all, it is legal and secondly it can be done safely. This
depends more on the behavior of the motorcyclist than that of the car driver. It is a fact that motorcyclists are actually the culprits here in that they don`t want to take responsibility for their own actions. It is really an attitude problem. You will find this mostly with the larger
sports bikes as it is an ego thing. Those are also the riders that don`t
want to take professional training. In my honest opinion, I would venture a guess and say that at least 90% of motorcyclists lane split too fast and irresponsibly.
WOW: You have a motorcycle training academy, what are some of the things people could expect from such a training?
Interestingly mastering the physical controls of a motorcycle is a much smaller part than anyone realises. The main thing is to realise that a positive attitude goes a long way for motorcyclist’s safety. My main focus is on what hazards are, hazard perception and hazard avoidance. I’ve found that once motorcyclists take responsibility for their own safety they change their attitude toward car drivers in general and their own riding in particular. With knowledge comes power. I empower then to take their own safety seriously and do something positive about it.
WOW: Do you have a lot of women attend your courses? Is the training for them different to training men?
Aha, the “gender” question :-) Seriously I don`t know why but I train
far more women than men. And more mature women more than young girls. Maybe because women have less of an ego problem than men. There is no difference in training between women and men. To ride a motorcycle responsibly you need a set of skills consisting of various physical and mental skills regardless of whether you are male or female. I have however found that”older” females tend to master the skills much slower than men. Having said that though it might be in the genes and not anything sinister, it may just be that they are more cautious than men.
WOW: For our motorcyclists out there, what are your top three safety tips?
1. Take responsibility for your own safety
2. Take professional training to master your motorcycle
3. Always be vigilant and aware of your riding environment and what happens there.
WOW: What does the law require when it comes to driving a motorbike?
The current system is criminal as a motorcycle learner’s license is just that. It does not state the size of motorcycle the holder is allowed to ride which translates into the possibility of a 16 year old riding a 1000cc.
Technically a person that holds a motorcycle learner’s license and is younger than 18 years of age, must have their ID with them in the event of being stopped by a traffic officer to check them for legality. The only difference between a learner’s license for a car and a motorcycle is that one section is dedicated to identifying the controls of a motorcycle and a few questions about carrying passengers, goods and how to sit on a motorcycle.
The physical testing for the motorcycle license is criminal to say the least. First of all the test for smaller and larger motorcycles are exactly the same which is not nearly correct as one can now go for your “big bike” license on a 150cc motorcycle and then immediately get onto a 1000cc motorcycle and ride it legally. Further the competence of the examiners are really a question of competency. In my honest opinion, there are very few examiners that are competent motorcyclists or even own a motorcycle. Currently there are concerned motorcyclists that want to have the current test abolished and replaced with something more comprehensive that tests for competency on the range as well as on the road. In the UK the street test was abolished with a resulting increase in motorcycle crashes of 90% within one year. The on-street test was bought back and the crashes dropped by 70% within 6 months. I think that the problem in South Africa is that the government does not really care about motorcyclists safety and that they don’t have competent motorcycle traffic officers.
WOW: What is a motorcyclists three pet hates when it comes to driving on the road?
1. Car drivers don’t look out for motorcyclists (part of this is because the curriculum for car drivers does not include sufficient information and attention to the way car drivers should look out for and make way for motorcycles)
2. My real pet hate is cell phones. This divides the driver’s already
partial attention into focusing more on the cell phone than on the road, thus not seeing or being aware of motorcyclists.
3. Car drivers that don’t realise that indicators are there for a
purpose.
WOW: Say I`m looking for a competent instructor. How do I go about it and what are the requirements for being an instructor in South Africa?
Picture this. The current requirement for becoming a legal motorcycle instructor is just to pass your motorcycle yard test twice. eg. A person that has just turned 18 years of age goes to do his/her A-class motorcycle license on a 150cc motorcycle, which, incidentally allows him/her to ride a 1000cc motorcycle. Now this same person goes back the next day, without having taken any training at all, does a learners in the yard again on a 150cc and passes again. They are now legally “qualified” to be a “professional” motorcycle instructor.
An advanced trainee of mine told me (2 weeks ago) that his daughter was trained by what I call a license trainer. (A license trainer is a person that teaches trainees to pass their license. No more, no less. Monkey say, monkey do style. There are no safety aspects at all.) She has not ridden a motorcycle for more than 3km on a public road but passed her A-license easily as she was trained to do. Now I ask you, bearing in mind that she now holds a valid and legal motorcycle license, “How competent and safe can this rider be?” Then the same government who actively support this system wants to know why there are 300 deaths in 12 weeks in one province alone.
For more information or to book a training course go to HB’s Advanced Rider Training Academy.