Category: Uncategorized

Improving Motorcycle Safety – A review of interventions and guidance for development and evaluation.

by Bike Coach, posted in Uncategorized

This report by National Highways was issued in May last year. I have recently been made aware of it via a RoADAR webinar. It’s quite brave considering how critical it is of providers.

Source: National Highways https://share.google/1Pv813Ajn3AOJDSHm

Click to access improving-motorcycle-safety-a-review-of-interventions-and-guidance.pdf

Summary of the Reports Findings

‘In short, while there are numerous post-licence motorcycle interventions being offered in Great Britain, little has been evaluated and the evidence for what works and what does not is almost non-existent.‘

The findings were particularly damning regarding the level of public funding, and organisations profiting from ineffective training :-

 Effectiveness of Post-Test Training Interventions

‘… there is little evidence for the effectiveness of any of them to improve safety outcomes’.

Our Response

A new Proposal for a focus on ‘Machine Control’ for Post-test and Advanced Training

The proposal is to focus on embedding the key skills of Emergency Braking and Cornering. What we regard as ‘best practice’ is outlined below.

Mastering Safe Cornering on the Road, with ‘Slow In Fast Out’ Technique
Ultimate Guide to Emergency Motorcycle Braking

I believe the official advice on emergency braking as contained in the DVSA’s ‘Riding’ and Police Roadcraft need to be reviewed too, and revised to provide the best advice to minimise braking distances.

Official advice as how to best corner safely also needs defining and publishing.

Then both emergency braking and cornering need to be taught more effectively Consideration should be given to include, in particular, emergency braking from higher speeds – 60 mph – within the licence test.

The effect of the training can be measured, in terms of braking distances and lean angles.

Riders should be able to stop from at least 60 mph within Highway Code braking distances, or less (20% less or 0.9g is achievable, compared to the standard 0.7g).

Riders should also be able to lean the machine at 35 degrees or more, which is the equivalent of the standard braking force of 0.7 g.

Both can be measured using datalogging or a simple phone app – which needs designing and implementing, although iAccel is already available on Iphones. The required sensors are already in most mobile phones.

Current ‘Advanced’ Training

‘Advanced’ riding needs to be radically rethought to make it effective. The suggestion is to continue to use Police Roadcraft as a basis, with appropriate changes to emergency braking (close the throttle first and keep the front brake applied as hard as possible until stopped).

The ‘downside’ of the involvement of police riders needs to be identified, openly discussed and tackled. This is encouraging riders to ignore the Highway Code ‘should nots’, and to make ‘good progress‘, taken from emergency response practices. Riders should never be in a hurry.

Riders should not be expected to take every opportunity to overtake or filter. They should not routinely filter right to the front of traffic queues and race away. Riders should stay out of all cross hatched areas unless this has clear safety benefits, and not overtake by riding straight ahead from RH turn lanes etc. etc.

Proposed Advanced training

This for a new focus on machine control, in addition to just Police Rider Roadcraft. The road positioning advice is good, but new planning advice is needed based on ‘invisibility’. There is also additional advice on ‘buffering’ in the New South Wales motorcycling manual, which is free to download.

1. Emergency braking

2. Cornering

3. Invisibilty.

The Report

Seems to focus on complex behavioural issues and misses the basic ‘nuts and bolts’ of the problem, and machine control.

To be fair to everyone involved, the problem is that our very poor crash reporting system focusses on blame and prosecutions, not root causes. This also needs urgently addressing to confirm assumed root causes.

The hidden problem with motorcycle riders, is that many can’t brake or take bends properly and confidently. This may be 80% of the problem, from a personal sample of 500 road riders and over 2,500 riders trained on-track. Very easy to confirm. 

This is incredibly frustrating for me, having presented on Emergency Motorcycle Braking at the IJMS and the RSGB National Road Safety Conference last year, and recently tried again at the Motorcycle Conference this year to raise just Emergency Braking as an issue, with no response from anybody.

The report barely mentions ‘control’. It fails to evaluate any improvement in machine control or any motorcycle training in ‘other environments’ as proposed by the DVSA. 1,000’s of riders every year are trained on-track or off road by many providers, often the major manufacturers, which are likely to lead to positive outcomes in improved machine control, fewer crashes and better outcomes.

Emergency Braking

I now find that the suggested focus on emergency braking for motorcycles was already recommended in this report earlier last year, and has also apparently been completely ignored.

‘With the lack of clear evidence for post-licence motorcycle intervention content, it may be necessary to consider lessons learned from driver training. Historically, advanced driver training focused on teaching complex lower-order skills, such as advanced vehicle control in emergency situations like skidding or braking’. 

One of my early trainees was Kashi who had a very bad crash through being unable to brake in time. So we used a local quarry access road. He literally couldn’t brake to save his life. It took 10 mins to nearly halve his braking distance from 60 mph. 

I’ve found the same with many riders, and typically they can reduce their braking distances by at least 20% after training.

There is research that confirms riders inability to brake. 50% cannot even meet Highway Code braking distances. We recently confirmed this with advanced riders from our local IAM group (SAM). We’ve also had riders who never use their front brakes, which is like driving a car just using the handbrake.

Crash outcomes are obviously very sensitive to impact speeds, particularly for riders, who are usually thrown from their machines.

Cornering

This is largely ignored in the report, but the problems are included in a quoted paper.

Crundall, D., Stedmon, A. W., Crundall, E., & Saikayasit, R. (2014). The role of experience and advanced training on performance in a motorcycle simulator. Accident Analysis & Prevention, 73, 81-90. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aap.2014.08.009.

However, any police force will confirm this, as will Youtube.

The only problem is referring to ‘the racing line’ without really understanding what it is. It’s probably the largest available radius through any bend. It’s rarely used in racing, appears in the 1970’s Police Motorcycle Roadcraft, but has since been removed. 

There are no proposed cornering lines in any official publication, just positions to get the best view in Roadcraft. So it cannot be a surprise that bends are a major cause of crashes.

Invisibility

Riders need to understand that other road users may not see them. The reasons are complex, and dependent on circumstance, but a rider must never assume that they have been seen.

Hazard awareness has been the long term focus, but we now need to train riders not only to recognise, but how to react to hazards.

This involves closing the throttle, covering the brakes, changes in speed and road position ready for evasive action, and light pressure on the rear brake to warn following vehicles.

What’s missing?

What is very obviously missing is any assessment of the ability of riders to control their machines. Bikes look simple, but are actually extraordinarily complex, difficult to understand, and to ride competently. There has been no attempt to evaluate what level of control is needed, or what the various groups of riders have. Or what ‘experience’ provides to riders, but finds that the level of ‘hazard awareness’ which is currently the main thrust of interventions, varies little from novices to advanced riders.

The Report

The report is a competent comprehensive professional review of all the various ‘legal’ road training initiatives from 20 providers. From Advanced Training from RoSPA, to Street Spirit (Essex). The unlicenced, unapproved post-test road training industry has understandably been missed out, but there is nothing to suggest that this would be any more effective, the methodologies being likely the same.

The ‘Executive Summary’ finds that none of these programmes, many publicly funded, have any measurable positive effect on casualty reduction

‘While there is some evidence of best practice from international literature, this work suggests that either the adaptation of existing resources, or new resources, need to start with a detailed mapping exercise to bring it in line with best practice in other areas of public health.’

The seriousness of the situation is made clear in the report:-

 ‘In 2022, the fatality rate per billion passenger miles for motorcyclists was 114 across Great Britain. In comparison, for car occupants it was 2, and for pedestrians and cyclists it was 27 and 23 respectively’. 

The report mentions GDE from the 1990s, which is described as a ‘pivotal framework’.

The report then identified the one single intervention on ‘Basic Vehicle Control’, which was Motorcycle Cornering Advice from RoSPA. Only 4 out of 20 initiatives that had any self evaluation content regarding machine control.

Nothing at all on braking (or any more on cornering). I believe the problem is the lack of understanding of bike control by non-riders, who probably assume motorcycles are just like cars. You just stamp on the brakes if you need to stop, or turn the wheel to corner.

The report doesn’t identify properly what constitutes ‘Basic Vehicle Control’, which is it’s major flaw.

Hazard Awareness

‘Results found that while advanced riders performed better (i.e. reacted quicker at identifying hazards) than experienced riders, they were not significantly better than novice riders’.

‘The evidence for hazard perception training with motorcyclists is limited and paints an unclear picture. Logically hazard perception is a key skill that is likely related to crash risk, but the relationship with experience is not as consistent as with findings from the driving literature. It seems intuitive that some form of hazard awareness training should be beneficial for post-licence riders, whether they are novices, returning riders or simply experienced riders, but the best approach to this has not been demonstrated.’ 

There are two Road Safety Trust funded projects looking to address hazard awareness due later this year. But we suspect that the issue is rider control and the ability to react appropriately. The problem with standard hazard awareness tests, are that riders just have to push a button on a keyboard or screen.

 Effectiveness of Post-Test Training Interventions

‘… there is little evidence for the effectiveness of any of them to improve safety outcomes’.

Four possible reasons are explored:

1. Poor evaluation and reporting.

2. Not all motorcyclists are the same.

3. Interventions are unrelated to crash outcomes.

4. Design of content and/or delivery is not effective.

This report identifies a TRL report undertaken for clients which was not published, presumably due to the findings:

“In 2019, TRL reviewed a set of four rider training courses (aimed at riders from novice through to experienced) and compared course content with main crash types. The (unpublished) report for the client noted inconsistencies in the ways in which the ridertraining courses introduced and covered these main crash types.”

https://www.trl.co.uk/news/predictable-nature-of-motorcycle-collisions

‘Without transparent publication of all evidence, whether good or bad, it is impossible to develop a weight of evidence and learn lessons’. 

The above report appears to have been suppressed by the organisations who funded it, presumably due to the poor outcomes.

Why is the accident rate so high for new motorcycle riders?

by Bike Coach, posted in Uncategorized

The truth is no one currently knows exactly how experience makes riders safer, although some things seem obvious.

Riders probably mainly learn either by crashing, or having near misses. Trial and error.

I crashed a dozen times in my first year of riding, but apart from racing, only twice since – both at very low speed on slippery surfaces.

Motorcycle training didn’t exist at the time. My parents generation didn’t even have a licence test.

I learned that scraping the floorboards on my Lambretta lifted the wheels off the ground, more so with a pillion (sorry Graham).

I learned that a car moving over when I was trying to overtake was not necessarily to let me pass (He was ‘swan necking’ and turned right). I got prosecuted for ‘lack of care and attention’ via A&E. (Sorry Andy – pillion).

I learned cars and trucks often didn’t see me, and pulled out it front of me.

I found wet roads had far less grip than dry.

I found out what ‘black ice’ was and where it often formed, and how slippery snow was when compacted, but fresh snow was better.

I found out oil and diesel were also slippery and where you might find them (petrol station forecourts and nearby roundabouts).

I also found mud on the road was particularly slippery too, and where farmers and construction companies often left it. This was a surprise as I’d taught myself, with the help of my sister’s boyfriend Tony Dyer, by riding around waste land next to Southend Airport on an old 98cc James. Mud was better when it was deeper!

(The police and wealthy land owners largely prevent the current generation of youngsters learning how to control a motorbike this way, away from road hazards. Mike Hailwood (who) learned the same way, so did Casey Stoner and many other top riders).

The Notts police have a 12 man team on dirt bikes, a helicopter and patrol cars. You’d think they’d be better deployed elsewhere like city centres tackling anti social riding, the out of control gig economy, private E-Scooters etc etc. No one bothered me, and clearly noise wasn’t an issue, but continually smelling of aircraft fuel was.

I found out tractor drivers couldn’t apparently see or hear, and were generally oblivious.

I found gravel in places, that was also very slippery, but figured out why and where – mostly. I also found out it can be difficult to recognise on some surfaces, again recently.

I discovered white lines were like ice when wet, drain covers were always slippery as was overbanding (thin lines of tarmac on joints)

I found leaves were slippery too in the autumn.

I found out my brakes were better than my bicycle, and I also now didn’t go over the handlebars if I braked as hard as I could.

I found the rear brake worked better than the front, and a rear skid didn’t mean a fall although a front skid did. (Old drum brakes).

I also found that stamping on the rear brake or snatching at the front, often caused a skid.

I found out some of my mates were lunatics. The wheelie on a 50cc Honda along the top of a double brick wall outside Leigh-on Sea Community Centre wasn’t big or clever, was it Phil? Spectacular – I’ll give you that. A helmet might have been a good idea (not compulsory then). Just a broken arm was quite lucky.

I then learned, after my licence test, that my Triumph Tiger 110 could corner far quicker, went twice as fast, but that the throttle could jam wide open. But I never dropped it.

I found out I could do a ton-up fly past of the Blinking Owl on the A127. And by following another rider, if you got it wrong coming through Raleigh Cutting just before the cafe, and went over a sequence of drain covers, you could end up running wide, across the Esso station forecourt, and through a nice white fence.

I saw a few riders panic and crash on rural bends when I was following them, or they were following me, but I didn’t. I just leaned the bike further.

Interestingly, when I returned to riding 15 years later, I learned quickly to cope with more than twice the power, a bike capable of 140 mph that would both wheelspin, wheelie and do stoppies, but didn’t seem to like corners (Kawasaki GPZ1100 A3).

There followed a selection of sports bikes of ever increasing speed and power, until commonsence finally prevailed after 3 weeks riding an adventure bike around New Zealand. I bought a KTM 950SM in 2007 which I still have. (I still do trackdays on classic bikes).

I seemed to have learned not to panic somehow, and to instinctively brake or swerve before I’ve realised what is happening. I found out that this is called ‘muscle memory’ but it isn’t, it’s learned instinctive reactions without conscious thought.

And how to brake really hard and steer consciously in what seems to be what I call ‘slow time’ to avoid a collision. I guess it’s the effect of adrenaline?

I’ve dropped it twice at zero miles/hr, on an oil slick on the roundabout over the M1 Junction 29, and last year on gravel in a car park whilst putting it on the side stand.

I’ve had some crashes racing.  Two bad ones. I locked the front going into Sears at Snetterton on an unfamiliar bike with better brakes, and had a corker when my TZ350 seized flat out going into the Esses at Mallory (before the chicane was put in and the tyre wall moved back).

Not all learn by trial and error, some mates and other riders continue to have the same collisions. Some only have one crash. If they survive, many don’t ride again.

Some continue to generally crash regularly.

But most simply seem to ride more carefully.

Research shows that the chances of a crash diminish by 40% every time experience doubles, in the early years.

Research has also found ‘advanced’ post-test training is ineffective, riders just go faster, ride more, and have different types of crashes. They are also more likely to blame others, which is unhelpful. It’s all far too late and far too ‘clever’, (as a RoSPA instructor).

Evaluation of Advanced Motorcycling

The problem is also that crash reporting systems are so poor, despite ‘black boxes’ in many new vehicles. So root causes of crashes are guessed.

The current system is performed by the police, who appear to focus on blame and prosecutions rather than prevention.

BikeSafe is, I believe, mainly a PR exercise as they say it’s ‘not training’. I could explain why but it would take too long and doesn’t make any sense. Any biker likes a ride out – even better if you’re getting paid and on a company bike. But go anyway, you’ve nothing to lose and it’s cheap, and you will learn some good stuff from receiving something that’s ‘not training’. (It is really). And you’ll find police riders are generally a great bunch in this setting.

Back to crashes. We don’t know how experienced riders were, only how old, so we can’t match the type of crashes with experience.

We don’t even know if they had a licence or any training. This is a factor in over a third of fatal crashes in Sweden, and even higher in the US where this factor is reported.

40% of young rider fatalities in the UK are underage. Many others won’t have a licence. So no training is probably 50% of the problem, but could be up to 80%? (Pareto’s Principle).

This is where we all really need to focus, learners, young and newly qualified riders, but everyone needs to be critically aware of the child protection issues from both sides.

Upgrade Your Bike’s Suspension: Top Brands to Consider

by Bike Coach, posted in Uncategorized

A worn rear shock can be quite dangerous as the bike can bounce and the rear tyre leave the ground. Not great in a corner.

Springs can also sag over time allowing the forks to bottom out which can cause a skid on braking.

You can check the ‘static’ and ‘laden’ sag both ends with the help of a friend. Sometimes you can adjust the spring preload to compensate. Advice is widely available on how to do it.

You can check the rear shock damping simply by pushing the back of the bike down and then releasing it. It should gently come back up without overshooting. If you’ve got adjustable damping, add a couple of clicks to adjust it if you need to.

However, this all does mean your suspension has worn, so consider replacing it. Avoid cheap imports which could make it even worse. 

Take a deep breath and buy a decent aftermarket shock or get yours serviced by 9ne of the established companies – not someone you’ve never heard of. 

We’ve used KTech, Kais, WP (White Power – how did they get away with that!) and Maxton in the past, and there’s always Ohlins if you’re minted.

Any major established European brand should be OK.

Consider also checking your head, swinging arm and wheel bearings while your in your overalls.

It’s like having a new bike.

Motorcycle Tyres and Wear.

by Bike Coach, posted in advanced motorcycle training, motorcycle trackdays, motorcycle tyres, Uncategorized

There are an extraordinary number of internet posts on tyres and tyre wear, particularly on track bikes.

And very varied and often contradictory diagnostic advice on make, suspension setting, tyre pressures etc.

Tyre Type

You can use road tyres on track days, but avoid using track tyres on the road.

They have very little grip when they are cold, and are very unlikely to reach their operating temperature on the road.

You can get ‘cold tears’ in the rubber if you don’t warm them up properly.

We have constant issues at The School with riders failing to warm up their tyres, and falling on the first lap. You need two full laps at a gradually increasing pace to be safe.

This applies to road tyres too, although 1 lap should be enough, dependent on type.

Generally speaking, the more tread, then the quicker they heat up due to tyre flex.

Tyres have a relatively narrow range of temperature at which they are designed to work.

Slicks in particular need great care to warm properly. Even with tyre warmers, after you’ve waited in the collecting area for a couple of minutes, the tyre would have lost much of its temperature.

‘Wets’ are usually only needed when there is standing water on the track. Otherwise, intermediate or sports tyres are usually better. Wets wear very quickly if the track dries, and can become very slippery.

Tyre Pressures

Consider using the manufacturer’s suggested tyre pressures, but reduce the cold pressures by 2 psi front and back on trackdays.

This to compensate for the increases temperature and pressure.

Running with lower pressures may sometimes give marginally more grip, but causes very high wear rates.

Tyre Wear Patterns

This is a typical early tyre wear pattern on a track bike with rubber building up just behind the grooves.

‘Graining’ has just started, with rubber being worn off the surface of the tyre and getting stuck back onto the edge or the carcass.

Tyres ‘slip’ on cornering, moving sideways as they rotate, which can cause strange wear pattens on treaded tyres.

This is my R6 front tyre from Donnington a couple of years ago. It has started to melt, due we think to the tyre being just 1 psi lower than was recommended.

Different makes and models of tyres can weather very differently.

Tyre Compound

On track days, you could change to an optimum compound of tyre to suit the conditions, but you’d have to be on race pace to make this worthwhile.

If you’re not, the tyre may not get to temperature and you’ll end up with worse grip.

The Theory

If you want to know how tyres (and suspension) work, look at ‘Motorcycle Dynamics’ by Vitorre Cossalter, which covers this in great detail and is based on lab tests, not opinion.

You’ll need degree level maths to fully understand it all, but even without, you can see the factors involved.

The relationship between suspension settings and tyre wear is very complex. As tyres, riding speeds, riding styles, and bikes vary considerably, be aware of suggestions based on tyre wear patterns alone.

Mike Abbott, British Superbike School

Improving Young Rider Safety: Urgent Actions Needed

by Bike Coach, posted in motorcycling, Uncategorized

Suggested Actions

  1. Inform children and parents of the risks of riding E-Scooters. Explain the dangers of riding any PTW when underage or without a licence, and without proper training.
  2. Ban E-Scooters. Require any powered vehicle, wherever used, in public or on private land, to meet Highway Code stopping distances (0.7g) Include hoverboards, ball boards, unicycles etc.
  3. Encourage the use of E-Cycles for 14 years and above.
  4. Make ABS (anti-lock) brakes mandatory for all A1 (125cc) motorcycles
  5. Require riders to retake a CBT when upgrading from a moped to a 125c A1 motorbike.

The Problems

  • 40%, probably more, young motorcycle rider fatalities up to 18 years were riding illegally without any training.
  • 50% of KSIs up to 18 years were underage for the motorcycle they were riding.

This seems to be a well kept secret. You can confirm this if you use the government’s freely available accident database. We don’t know how many of the others didn’t have a licence. They probably received no training. Maybe another 10% or more? More than half the problem?

In 2022 there was only a single 16 year old rider fatality who was riding legally – (Probably).

Young rider Fatalities 2022 in detail

YOUNG RIDER FATALITIES 2014-2023

Over the past 10 years, we have seen an average of 1 death/year of a rider below 16 years. But the situation appears to be worsening.

There are an average of 3 deaths/year for riders aged 16. They were probably mostly riding illegally.

There are also 7 deaths/year for riders each year from 17 up to 20 years old, nearly 300 in total. There is no information available as to how many did not have a proper licence.

2014201520162017201820192020202120222023
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161533212362
17-2033382626282418293635

50cc A1 mopeds aren’t the major issue, but 125 cc A1 motorbikes are. They don’t need to have anti-lock brakes that larger capacity bikes now have to – which makes no sense.

Young riders are mainly a risk to themselves. They are simply demonized by The Press as ‘anti-social’. This view is taken rather than seeing them as children at serious risk.

Young Rider KSI’s 2018 and 2022

Many young riders at 17 move from a 50cc 28 mph twist and go, to a geared 125cc motorbike. They can now easily ride at 60 mph with no extra training. Out they go onto A roads and the countryside at considerable personal risk. KSI’s now more than double.

The number of KSIs of underage riders, 16 and younger, is nearly static. In contrast, overall KSIs for this age group has declined by 25% over the last 4 years. But the underage problem appears to be unaffected.

E-Scooters

In 2022, 440 E-Scooter riders were seriously injured. The highest frequency was in the 10-19 years age group. Estimates suggest that about 150 young riders sustained serious injuries. These account for approximately one-third of all injuries. (Government E-Scooter Fact Sheet).

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-evaluation-of-e-scooter-trials-report

NEW Hazard Shift?

E-Scooters look to have increased 16 years and younger young rider fatalities by >50%, and KSI’s by 400%.

E-Scooters apparently look set to be legalised.

The average E-Scooter rider age is 16 years, youngest 11 years or less.

There are probably now 1.5 million E-Scooters in the UK.

To date, 50 E-Scooter riders and 1 pedestrian have been killed. An unknown number, but probably at least 500/year seriously injured.

TRL research confirmed the poor braking on E-Scooters. The kerb height they can negotiate has had to be reduced. It has been lowered from the standard 10 cm to 3 cm. This puts riders at risk. And that they are unstable, generally poorly maintained needing constant brake adjustment, had steering faults and underinflated tyres.

For local Government rentals, the Dft doubled the braking distance standard for E-scooters. When all other vehicles would have stopped from 15 mph, an E-Scooter would still be doing 11 mph. Speed related fatalities start at 9 mph.

Link to E-Scooter Standards

You can buy an E-Scooter capable of close to 50 mph. Others are easy to tamper with to de-restrict. >40 mph is possible.

The obvious alternatives are E-Cycles. They are legal at 14 years and can stop to Highway Code standards. E-Cycles can also negotiate standard kerbs and use less energy. You have to pedal, which also helps fitness.

Mike Abbott, British Superbike School

Updated 24.7.25

Motorcycle Safety Update 2024.

by Bike Coach, posted in Uncategorized

E-Scooters

See government reports. They are unnecessary, and the most hazardous form of urban travel by a margin, average age of rider is 16 years. E-Cycles are at least 3 times safer, have a smaller carbon footprint, and can carry shopping safely in panniers.

12 riders died in 2022, at least 400 serious injuries accepted as probably significantly understated.

Young Motorcycle Riders

40% (2022) of fatalities <16 years are underage. Others probably don’t have a licence. Youngest 11.

They can move from a 50cc automatic limited to 28 mph, at 17, to a 125cc geared bike capable of up to 70 mph, with no extra training. Out they go onto A roads and into the countryside at > twice the speed, where many are killed or injured.

The death toll rises sharply peaking then falling back at 24 years old.

125cc bikes are also not required to have anti-lock brakes, whereas now all larger capacity bikes have. As everyone learns on a 125 this is represents a very high unnecessary risk of falls under braking, which is far more likely when learning.

Motorcycle Training

There is no course to become a motorcycle learner trainer, just a 2-day test. In contrast, it takes around 40 days of training to qualify to teach in Further Education, ‘basket weaving’ etc at night school.

There is however a short one/two week DVSA training course for post test trainers, as well at 4 tests coving riding ability, training ability, hazard awareness and thery.

However, currently there appears to be no law against anyone training motorcyclists commercially on the road without a DVSA trainer’s licence, whereas there is for cars etc. 

Consequently some ‘advanced training’ is unqualified, putting riders at risk. (The IAM and RoSPA are charities overseen by the DVSA).

In summary, PTW riders are far more of a risk to themselves than anyone, could be far better trained, with the young and their parents apparently particularly unaware of the risks.

Riders are not often trained and not tested in high speed braking. Consequently 50% can’t meet Highway Code stopping distances from 60 mph, and up to half simply skid and fall in an emergency – from research. This is critical as most speed is lost at the end of braking – it’s a ‘square law’. Probably causes over 100 deaths/year, and over 1,000 serious life changing injuries.

The DVSA advice looks wrong with the brake application in the wrong order – should be rear first as your foot’s already on it.

A brief history of motorcycle braking

by Bike Coach, posted in Uncategorized

Early machines were slow and had very poor brakes, sometimes only on the rear, and some had rim brakes like bicycles, which were also used on some lightweight race bikes.

The introduction of drum brakes was a significant step forward, but they were still poor – particularly front drum brakes with single leading brake shoes, bearing in mind at least 60% of braking is done by the front, and up to 100% as the weight transfers forwards.

Aftermarket twin leading shoes became available – John Tickle – and four leading from Fontana. Even 8 leading shoe were used on racers.

The rear brake was key, as the leverage was far higher with the rider standing on the pedal.

The front brake was wholly dependent on how strong your grip was, and lock ups probably very rare. 

In the 1970s disc brakes started to appear which were initially poor in the wet, but over the years friction materials, master and slave cylinder designs have improved.

I cannot remember ever locking a front brake on tarmac until 1992, and that was on a race bike with twin AP Lockheed race calipers and cold tyres.

The latest radial brakes are very powerful, requiring only one or two fingers to stand a machine on its nose, or a lock up.

ABS has been around since the 1970s, but was mainly fitted on top end touring bikes until 2016 when they became compulsory for all bikes over 125cc. 

There is a now a particular problem with machines from around 2000 onwards which have increasingly powerful brakes capable of locking the front wheel with just one or two fingers, which is probably a significant factor with riders falling in an emergency.

As many riders have more than one bike, there is a real danger of going back to earlier machines without ABS (or traction control, anti tipping or anti wheelie) and skidding and falling.

OPINION: It’s time to bring gamification into the road safety spotlight.

by Bike Coach, posted in Uncategorized

In response to https://roadsafetygb.org.uk/news/opinion-its-time-to-bring-gamification-into-the-road-safety-spotlight/

I agree there are potential opportunities for exploiting psychology and technology to address road safety issues.

However, we are already struggling with the ‘PlayStation Generation’, who are simply used to ‘respawning’, Grand Theft Auto, Rocket League etc.

When I received my advanced riding training 15 years ago, I was initially baffled at what the hurry was, but came to realise it was primarily a game. A to B as quickly as possible without breaking any laws, followed by an instruction to read through the Highway Code again and separate the ‘should nots’, (that I could ignore), and the ‘must nots’, (that I couldn’t). Take every reasonably safe chance to overtake or filter through the traffic. On the plus side, it certainly means you pay proper attention at all times.

It seems to have thankfully changed over the years with less emphasis on ‘making good progress’. 

‘For most of this century behavioural psychology has been conspicuously applied to almost every area of our lives’. It has – since the 1970’s when post war production caught up with demand, it has been harnessed by Marketing to make us buy stuff we don’t need, researching and developing the brands we all love – for some unfathomable reason – for a while anyway. (I did my MBA in Marketing in the early 90’s. There were then a number of ‘Buyer Behaviour’ models in use, which probably now run into many 1,000’s).

Psychology clearly has been very effective at helping marketeers manipulate buyer behaviour. I think most people realising how customers are psychologically manipulated, would be horrified. How many times have we all got home with something wondering why you bought it – clothes bought that you’ve never worn. 

Does the public know that car adverts in the old glossy newspaper supplements didn’t actually sell cars? They were actually there to address ‘post purchase dissonance’, reassuring buyers that they’d made the right choice and that the brand reflected their values. It’s all about brand loyalty. The cost to the economy must run into £billions every year, which we all pay for by often grossly inflated prices.

Psychology also hasn’t apparently made the world a safer place. The biggest killer of young males is still suicide. Suicides overall in the UK have shown at best a flat trend since 2006, despite I am sure the psychology profession’s best efforts. 6,588 suicides in 2022 against 1,711 road deaths – 350 motorcycle riders.

Describing painting ‘centre lines and direction arrows’ on a road as ‘psychology’ is stretching things a bit. 

‘….technological advancements in vehicle safety have made great strides in reducing the UK’s stubbornly high road traffic collision statistics’. Very true, but there has been no significant improvement in reported road fatalities since 2009 despite the  replacement of older vehicles with new, complete with ABS,  airbags, stability control, automatic braking etc.etc. should result in steady improvements. The root causes probably have remained firmly embedded and unchanged, or maybe getting worse. 

The focus on the dangers of speeding for the 5 years from 2003 seems to have worked – then nothing. 

I’d just responded on LinkedIn to a post on ‘Automated Behavior’ as follows, which seems to apply here as well:-

‘Psychology rapidly gets too complex and convoluted. Maslow is probably the simplest and most useful model. The primary human motivation is for safety, we just need to constantly remind road users how unsafe the roads really are, and how easy it is to kill or maim yourself, family and others’.

We’ve used Transactional Analysis in our training, and more recently ‘The Chimp Paradox’,  the idea actually came from Professor Peters witnessing a road rage incident. Make friends with your chimp – mine’s called Kevin. Might work for some with anger management issues which can cause unsafe behaviour. Worth pursuing to tackle the emotional behavioural issues which are already known?

This article states reasonably that ‘People need a rational reason to change their behaviour and a clear instruction on what they can do to change’. The primary base human motivation is theoretically for safety, so whilever road users feel safe, their risky behaviour will likely continue. 

Everyone needs to appreciate how hazardous driving and riding is. If we started from scratch we’d never design roads where vehicles passed each other at 60 mph in opposite directions. If ‘Pub Darts’ had been invented last week, it would have immediately been banned as ludicrously dangerous – throwing darts with 2 inch sharp points across a room of semi-intoxicated people? 

But we are where we are, and everyone needs to be aware and constantly reminded of the danger. Road users also need to be trained more thoroughly, rather than learning by trial and error, and well aware of the likely consequences of inattention or lack of care.

They used to put wrecked cars on public display in the past as a warning. Haven’t seen one for many years, probably found to be too upsetting. We’re letting road users drive and ride around in ‘cloud cuckoo land’:-

  • More than 130,000 people were injured on the roads in 2022, with 30,000 killed or seriously injured.
  • You and your passenger may survive a frontal 30 mph impact, providing it isn’t a tree, truck or tractor, but probably not one at 40 mph.
  • A 20 mph side impact will likely kill you all – so be very careful emerging from junctions.
  • Every second you fail to react through inattention, potentially increases your impact speed by 20 mph.
  • If you hit an oncoming vehicle, the impact is the addition of the speed of both vehicles. 60 mph + 60 mph = 120 mph. You’ll both be dead and not looking good either.

I note the reference to Apps and mobile technology. ‘It’s undeniable that mobile technology serves as a powerful engagement tool in today’s digital age’. I agree, I have an old ‘Road Angel’ which warns me of speed cameras and accident black spots. Build this into Satnavs advising road users of previous serious collisions points as they approach them. Again more details will make them more impactful I think. Some already have warnings of collisions, or road blockages, or breakdowns.

Suggested Strategy

By all means use psychology – self preservation  – not killing yourself, family, friends, or strangers. It needs to be hard hitting if it is to work. The need to control your ‘chimp’, or act on the roads at all times as an ‘adult’, not a ‘critical parent’ or ‘child’.

Only one life – no respawning – no second chance.

Make drivers aware of the ‘illusion of safety’ in a padded steel box, and particularly on two wheels.

Speed awareness courses to focus on ‘due care and attention’ – the failure of the driver or rider to see a bright yellow speed camera and warning signs. And the result of not reacting quickly, which is potentially far more serious than a few mph over the limit. 1 sec delay = +20 mph impact. 2 seconds potentially fatal. Fatalities start at just 9 mph.

Brutal publicity campaign stressing the importance of taking care and paying attention as above. Depict real life tragedies. I’ve been working my way through detailed reports on 39 fatal motorcycle accidents in Northern Ireland. It’s really depressing.

Put up signs where there have been fatal collisions maybe with the number and ages of those killed – names would probably be even more effective with relative’s approval, replacing wreaths and floral tributes. And whether they were pedestrians, or driving or riding a cycle, or motorbike. Make it real.

Encourage road users to look at the local on-line crash map to see where collisions occur.

Provide warnings of accident blackspots via Satnavs.

——————————————————————————————————————————————

There’s a current problem with motorcyclists being unable to brake properly, as circa 50% just skid and fall in an emergency, and half cannot achieve Highway Code stopping distances. Many riders simply won’t practise braking probably due to the fear of skidding and falling, or maybe finding out they can’t stop quickly. I’ve asked that high speed braking be added to the licence test and included in all post-test or advanced training. 

I’ve used a free App called iAccel Lite which allows riders to quickly and easily brake test themselves. Not aware of many takers. I’m currently looking at a German data logging system so we can evaluate our training more objectively.

The poor lack of response to the problem of motorcycle braking and lack of enthusiasm says it all. All’s well in ‘cloud cuckoo land’. I guess a psychologist would define this as ‘denial’? This despite many knowing the risk on a PTW is 66 times higher than car driving. 

An article on Transactional Analysis  I had published with the journalist John Westlake in BIKE created more interest than all the others on bike riding, so maybe we’re potentially at a stage where attitudes are beginning to change which in theory is followed by changes in behaviour. Wishful thinking?

I still think it’s the simple but fatal illusion of safety in vehicles that needs addressing, and that accidents only happen to others – until they don’t.

Ultimate Guide Emergency Motorcycle Braking

by Bike Coach, posted in Uncategorized

Basic Advice – Two Fingers

(Please note this differs from official DVSA or Police Motorcycle Roadcraft advice – see below. There is no official advice I can find to cover your brakes, even in response to hazards, although this is taught by BikeAbility to young cyclists).

Summary

When Upright

The advice is to ride covering your brake and clutch by resting your index and middle fingers on the levers. In an emergency, if upright, squeeze both immediately, along with the rear brake.

The engine may be left screaming. It doesn’t matter.

If you aren’t covering your front brake, (or have an automatic or electric bike), then immediately apply the rear brake while you are shutting the throttle and reaching for the levers.

If the front tyre skids, release and reapply more gently. If the ABS activates, maintain the braking pressure, and only release the pressure if the rear wheel leaves the ground and you feel you might capsize.

This advice could save you around 1 second reducing your impact speed by around 15 mph.

You’ll probably survive a 30 mph impact, but not one at 40 mph, so scrubbing off as much speed as possible is crucial.

From 60 mph, it could be the difference between stopping in time, and a 40 mph impact. As always ‘it depends’.

Braking obeys a ‘Square Law’.

In many, if not most collisions, it is thought you have < 2secs to react and brake.

When Banked

If you have to brake on a bend, you have two options.

  1. Apply the rear brake only.
  2. Bring the bike upright and apply both brakes – if you have room.

Practise is vital to make your response automatic.

Introduction

Firstly, for drivers who are non-riders, this may all seem unnecessary and over complex. In other vehicles, drivers just instinctively stamp on the brakes. It requires no skill or thought. The vehicle will almost certainly have ABS and ‘yaw control’, so even on a bend or on a poor surface, it should simply come to a halt. The driver usually stays in control, or rather the vehicle does, with the driver held in place by a seatbelt and with a steering wheel for support. However, obviously the laws of physics still apply if you’re going way too fast.

Motorcycles have two separate brakes, one front, one back, operated separately like a bicycle. (Some have linked brakes). However the rear brake is usually foot operated. The centre of mass is lower, so they can brake more effectively than a cycle. But it is far higher than other road vehicles. This restricts the braking to <1g whereas cars etc can brake at >1g.

Motorcycles therefore suffer more from weight transfer under braking, with the rear tyre becoming more likely to skid during braking, as the weight transfers forwards onto the front tyre.  ABS was only compulsory for bikes over 125cc from 2016, so small or older bikes are very likely to skid. A front wheel skid often results in a fall, but a rear skid doesn’t usually (as bicycles).

Under hard braking, the rear wheel can leave the ground, the bike can pitch forward and flip, and the rider can go over the handlebars. Some very modern bikes have pitch control. This works with the ABS to reduce the braking to prevent this. But usually it’s in the control of the rider, who at the time is experiencing similar forces to doing a ‘hand stand’.

So minimising braking distances in an emergency, unlike cars, requiries ‘muscle memory’ acquired though continual practise to prevent panicking and snatching the front brake; physical strength; a high degree of skill to modulate front and rear brake pressures; an accurate assessment of the likely grip available from the road surface.

This assumes the bike is upright. In a corner, using the front brake with the lower level of grip left after cornering forces, makes a skid far more likely. It also affects the steering, with ‘yaw’ potentially making the bike ‘sit up’ and run wide, and requires more lean angle. The rear brake doesn’t affect the steering, but is far less effective due to weight transfer

Advice

Firstly consider increasing your separation distance from 2 seconds to 3 seconds, as advised in Norway (which has a better safety record) and NSW in Australia.

This is also important as drivers often drive far too close behind riders, and the car in front can stop more quickly than you.

Bear in mind it’s usually ‘the unexpected’ that will get you, no matter how skilled and experienced you may be, or think you are.

Always consider covering your brakes, as a minimum in response to any potential hazard. Rest your index and middle fingers on top of the front brake lever. Have your foot ready over the rear brake pedal. Extend your left hand’s index and middle fingers and place on top of the clutch lever.

If you have to brake suddenly, roll your hand forward and release the throttle. Wrap your fingers around the lever and squeeze, don’t snatch the front brake lever, applying increasing pressure. If the wheel locks, immediately release and reapply more gently.

Press down steadily on the rear brake with increasing pressure, and again release and reapply more gently if the rear wheel locks. It will probably need to be gradually released as the weight transfers forwards and the grip reduces. Just initally dabbing the rear brake is an alternative, which needs less thought and skill.

You may not be able to fully close the throttle. If you can’t, pull in the clutch. The engine may be screaming, but it’s not important – stopping is.

The front brake is by far the most effective brake, so focus your attention on it, and your front wheel grip.

If the ABS comes on, keep the brakes applied and let the system bring you to a stop.

The machine will pitch forward alarmingly, the rear will lift and the forks will sink. You may find that your head nods forwards, and that you cannot see ahead (which might be a blessing).

Recommendations

These recommendations are based on basic theory and common sense, and minimising braking distances (Cossalter).

As a rider, if you think you will instinctively brake effectively in an emergency – please think again. You may be mistaken.

Forensic crash investigators have found that circa 50% of riders skid and fall trying to brake in an emergency.

Research has also found only 50% of riders can achieve Highway Code braking distances. But, with training and practice, many riders can stop in 80% of these distances. Braking effectively can easily be the difference between braking in time, and a serious impact.

You will likely be unaware of these figures, although the research is over a decade old. In some areas the police and others have been addressing the problem. Locally the Lincs police were running courses at Cadwell Park covering emergency braking with Hopp Rider Training. There are also other initiatives that we are aware of.

The problem has been hidden by the very poor accident investigation procedures used by the police. They will likely be aware of the problem due to the evidence at the scene where a rider has fallen and slid into a vehicle at ground level, and the scrape marks on the road. There is no specific cause of ‘fell whilst braking’. It’s swept up in ‘Loss of control’ which isn’t particularly helpful. In addition, the failure to brake properly will likely be hidden as it may be unknown.

So this cause will likely end up being reported as ‘speeding’ or ‘failed to look properly’. There are correct diagnoses of speeding, where the injuries the rider sustained show that the impact was at above the speed limit. But the figures are probably misleading, not helped by a recent survey using traffic cameras that motorcyclists are more likely to be speeding than other road users.

We are often seen as reckless, and our own worse enemies, with some justification.

It is clear that National and Local Government is not focussed on PTW safety. The decisions in continuing with hired E-Scooters despite 50 deaths, and over 500, maybe 1,000’s of serious injuries confirm this, and the official findings that they are 5 times more hazardous than a bicycle.

E-Scooters take twice as long to stop than any other vehicle, including bicycles. It’s braking yet again.

We’ll have to help ourselves.

Official Advice

None that I can find suggests riding normally  covering the front brake – but I might have missed it.

Bikeability, who work with the Dft on cycle training, promote covering the brakes on a bicycle. So why not on a PTW? Makes no sense not to.

I know it’s considered by some to make snatching the brake more likely, so it may have been deliberately ignored. I have seen no evidence to support this. With modern ABS, snatching would make little difference, based on our recent tests with KurvX dataloggers.

Also the two fingers near the pivot applied first, make snatching and locking less likely.

DVSA

The current DVSA advice is to close the throttle. Then apply the front brake before the rear. This makes no sense. Applying the rear brake as you are closing the throttle turns on the brake light probably 1 second earlier. This can be a life saver. You’ve also started to brake, which makes an even bigger difference with linked brakes.

Applying the rear brake immediately reduces the reaction time by a second or more, potentially reducing impact speed by circa 10 mph, 20 mph with linked brakes (which should be compulsory).

ERS Extra Modules Taken

You can see from the above graph, from information just supplied by the DVSA, that ‘Effective Braking Techniques‘ is the most popular extra ERS module by a margin, which implies many riders are aware of their vulnerability in this respect.

The irony is that current training, (if compliant with DVSA advice), may increase the rider’s level of risk, and adversley affect outcomes

POLICE MOTORCYCLE ROADCRAFT

Closing the throttle first is missed (it was in the 1990’s DSA riding manuals as well). It may be obvious but could be forgotten in an emergency. It’s not like a car where you usually (not autos if you’re left foot braking) have to take your foot off the throttle to brake.

It’s also advised that you release the front brake and apply the rear as you’re coming to a halt. This looks to have been mistakenly carried across from normal braking, as it will likely increase braking distances, and at the point where the rate of deaccleration is at its greatest.

INSTITUTE OF ADVANCED MOTORCYCLISTS

The hand book I have is dated 2004, so the advice may have changed. It mentions having ‘your hand and foot poised over the control’, but again does not cover closing the throttle. This also does not appear under ‘What the examiner looks for’, which suggests emergency braking is not assessed.

The advice in a bend is to ‘sit the bike up and and brake hard‘, as opposed to police and DVSA advice to use the rear brake first. (We will be covering braking in corners in detail in another post).

This is a link to the IAM document ‘Full Control’, which includes advice on braking. It’s translated from Norwegian so somethings may have been lost in translation. I confirmed it’s the most recent version, but it’s from the 1980’s and doesn’t appear to include ABS.

https://www.iamroadsmart.com/groups/cornwallam/resources/document-library/docs/librariesprovider97/document-library/full-control

RoSPA

All courses comply with DVSA and Roadcraft standards, so it’s not clear which method they now advise. However, RoSPA have published the advice below in ‘Care on the Road’.

Despite being a RoSPA Instructor and a DVSA Post-Test trainer, and completing BikeSafe, no one has checked that I can stop in an emergency since my licence test in 1967 at 28 mph.

The current official advice I think is wrong, which is likely to result in avoidable SKIs.

Emergency Straight-Line Braking

This assumes you have ignored the advice above, and are not covering the front brake.

  • If either wheel locks, release that brake immediately and reapply with less pressure.
  • If the rear wheel lifts off the ground, release some front brake pressure to stop the bike tipping forwards.
  • Disengage the clutch as you come to a halt
  • When banked in a corner, just carefully apply the rear brake.

Dry Roads – the advice is 10% rear brake and 90% front

Wet Roads – 30% rear and 70% front due to less grip.

(Vittore Cossalter – ‘Motorcycle Dynamics’)

Emergency Braking in a corner

(We intend to cover trail braking and braking mid corner in detail in a later post).

CORRECT TRAINING IS VITAL

Research has shown emergency braking competence is not related to rider experience. If riders are not taught properly, many will probably never be able brake properly, putting them at high risk.

Practice Using a Phone App

You can use a free phone App such as iAccel Lite to test your braking ability. It shows initial speed, distance to stop and average braking g force, which should be 0.67g minimum to meets Highway Code braking distances. The theoretical limit is 1g after which most bikes will start to tip up. The best riders can stop in 80% of the published distances.

(As few Android users took this advice last year, iAccel is currently only available on iPhones. We’re trying to address this).

PRACTISE USING A DATA LOGGER

These are graphs from a KurvX datalogger from a test day at Blyton Park. The Kurvx system or any data logger can also be also be used for cornering feedback and training.

This has the advantage of being able to see the braking force applied by the rider through the braking cycle, and where improvements can be made. You can see from the second graph that the rider failed to apply the brake hard enough initially.

Practise, Practise, Practise

If your bike doesn’t have ABS, do not practice alone due to the risk of falling.

It is vital that you practice emergency braking repeatedly to create the required ‘muscle memory’, so your response become automatic. This should avoid an uncontrolled panic reaction, which currently means circa 50% of riders in an emergency lock the front wheel, skid and fall.

Even with ABS, many riders can simply fail to apply the brakes firmly enough, usually due to previous or current experience on bicycles.

If the ABS activates, the rider has braked too hard, or more likely initially too harshly. There is no evidence that ABS actually minimises braking distances, although it is a vital safety aid.

If the ABS does activate, releasing and reapplying the brakes will probably increase the braking distance.

We’ve tested the latest ABS technology, and it’s far better than it was. You can brake with the tyres screaming.

It’s better that your technique doesn’t activate the ABS, as you may ride a bike without ABS in the future, and will need the skills.

Gradually build up, braking harder as your confidence grows, always ready to release the lever immediately if the front wheel locks. Once the forks have compressed, and the weight has transferred, which probably takes around a second, you can usually squeeze the lever as hard as you can without the wheel locking.

In theory it takes 200 repetitions, after which the memory and reaction becomes permanent and automatic. This is easier to achieve safely and quickly on a track.

As most of the speed is lost at the end of braking, the difference between the best and worst rider as tested, is the difference between stopping in time from 60 mph, or a 40 mph potentially fatal impact.

Most track riders and racers already have this built-in, as it only takes a day’s racing or a trackday for this to become embedded into the rider’s behaviour.

If you change your bike, consider practicing again, particularly if it is an older machine without ABS.

Wet, slippery roads, or a poor road surface.

Wet roads need more care. Apply the brakes initially more gently. Once the weight is transferred onto the front tyre, it is unlikely to skid unless there is standing water. Again, 70/30 front/rear braking is suggested.

Always take care, and keep within your capabilities and confidence limits.

For more background information see:-

https://britishsuperbikeschool.com/2023/12/28/1-motorcycle-straightline-emergency-braking-response-to-mcia-ceo-tony-campbells-call-for-a-major-rethink-on-motorcycle-safety/

Feedback and opinions are welcomed.

Mike Abbott MBA, RoADAR (Dip), DVSA RPMT 800699, ACU Road Race Coach #62210

British Superbike School

Applewood

Old Hall Lane,

East Markham,

Newark

Notts NG22 ORF

Tel: 01777 818013

Mbl: 07939 041606

Web: www.britishsuperbikeschool.co.uk

May 2024

Revised Feb 2025

Motorcycle braking – conversation with Bruce Wilson of Forensic Crash Consultancy Ltd

by Bike Coach, posted in Uncategorized

BW

Hi Mike,

Totally agree with the issue around braking. In crash we talk about these exact points, especially when I teach motorcycle crash investigation. Study after study has shown the differences. I see it all to often in crashes where the rider has grabbed the front brake and had the front wash out. When application of both brakes would likely have seen them avoid the crash. I’m sure you are aware of them but Lou Peck and Nathan Rose and Wade Bartlett have done extensive testing on this area. Then of course there is the human factors side to braking under stress.

MA

Hi Bruce,

Thanks for your help. Can you have a look at this for me please before I release it.

https://britishsuperbikeschool.com/2024/01/17/press-release-brake-for-your-life-motorcycle-safety-campaign-2024/

BW

Looks pretty good and covers what we train crash investigators to look at. As you described the issue is, when you have to coordinate the application of both brakes, it is a complex process. When it’s an emergency most people lose the fine motor skills too, but also resort back to base reactions. That’s where training comes in, to make it second nature. So in the panic of an emergency they resort back to their embedded training.  You are bang on with incorrect assumptions of excess speed in motorcycle crashes. I constantly pick up investigators who have made assumptions in what a prepared under control situations a rider could have achieved in G decel rates. 

Studies of actual users in emergencies showed only half braked with a deceleration rate greater than 0.6G and only 28% higher than 0.8G.

Due to the complexity of motorcycle braking and accounting for the different skill levels of riders, it is more appropriate to use a range of 0.45 to 0.75G.

That last was a paragraph from actual crashes studies with data loggers. That’s car and motorcycle decel rates in emergencies. Comes from SHRP studies in the US. Where they fitted cars and motorcyclists with cameras and data loggers and just told them to go out and drive for a year. 

MA

I’ve got a horrible feeling that experience makes little difference, the first real high speed emergency is probably not usually survivable? The problem is lack of training. I think trackday riders have a better chance, but who’s to say how they will react?

BW

I would agree. Training not only on how to brake effectively but also ID of Hazards. How they react in emergency is the issue. But training does for me lead to a better chance and to get back to the memory of what to do

MA

Can you just let me know what percentage of riders you think skid and fall whilst braking in an emergency please. Thanks,  Mike

BW

The hard thing is giving an objective opinion, as I only see generally higher-end crashes. But it is across the board that inexperienced and experienced riders are dropping it. With experience, I mean, how many hours on the seat? At an educated guess, I would say it’s 50/50 for those that skid and fall and those that just collide with the vehicle (so insufficient braking or none at all as they appear to get target fixated). This is for the classic turn-across-path crash that most motorcyclists get involved in. That is just an educated guess.

MA

I assume around 50% of riders fall in the high end crashes you see, as evidenced by the marks on the bike, road and rider? Many thanks, Mike

BW

Yeah mix of bike and road evidence. We are also getting more caught on camera now too.

MA

I also think bikes should have linked brakes and ABS, as it’s far quicker to hit the rear if you’re not covering the front brake (which doesnt appear to be taught and doesnt appear in any advice). What do you think?

BW

Yeah linked ABS is a must. It takes out the need to do two actions by the rider and controlling the threshold braking needs. Fine motor skills go out the window in an emergency.