Riding a motorbike takes focus and skill. The top five most common accidents involving motorcycles are:

• Losing control on a left-hand bend on an A road
• Losing control on a right-hand bend on an A road
• Junction collision
• Overtaking collision
• Loss of control on any road type

Country roads offer a unique challenge for motorcycle safety, one that we don’t often face during our initial motorbike training. They require a different application of our knowledge, skills and reaction times. Some bends are easy to navigate, opening up as you enter them, whilst others tighten significantly, leaving us at risk of entering them too fast.

It’s crucial to learn and observe the clues that a bend is approaching. You’ll notice signs such as the tree line changing, the route of the telegraph poles, the line of road-side hedges. Speed is an essential factor in safety, as you need the time to react to things that appear suddenly and dramatically that we might not have been anticipating. Always keep your bike in top condition to stay safer on the roads. For regular servicing, think where do I find a motorcycle garage near me?

Another common accident spot is at junctions. This could be a result of a driver not giving way or stopping. T junctions present a special challenge with drivers so keen to join the flow of traffic that they might not see you, even if you think you are perfectly visible. No matter who is to blame, in a collision between a car and bike, the bike rider will always fare worse. Always remain on super high alert at junctions as research has shown that car drivers struggle to estimate the speed of approaching bikes.

Overtaking is an action that requires not only judgement of distance and speed but also knowledge of how your bike accelerates. When riding a new bike or someone else’s, take some time to learn how it responds in terms of acceleration and braking in different gears before you jump in and overtake.

You should never overtake on approaching bends, pedestrian crossings, double white lines, hills or dips and junctions. Safe overtaking needs a clear, unobstructed view of everything around you. Without that, you should never chance it as there could be a high-speed vehicle approaching that’s is currently blocked from your line of vision.

Always use your mirror’s but remember to not rely them completely. Even when in the proper position, they don’t always reveal the whole picture. Trust your mirror, but glance over your shoulder as well. This helps to quickly gather further information as well, such as rear-view and blind spot areas.

This is where the ability to scan comes into play. Scanning should become a subconscious element of your riding style. Continually scanning your entire surroundings, from your instruments and mirrors to the road ahead and your blind spot. Regular scanning enables you to remain alert and aware of your situation, possibly being the difference between having time to react or riding into an accident.  Those who spend too long only focusing on one or two areas are asking for trouble. An all-encompassing awareness will make you a far better and safer rider.