Learn to Be Safe on Your Motorcycle - Accidents ARE Happening

It's spring. It's time to take the bike out and give it some exercise. However, the bike needs a skilled rider. That should be you. When's the last time you took a Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF) course to tuneup those skills?

Here's a quick story and video by Molly Waldron of ktnv.com from the Las Vegas area that could wake you up a bit. It describes a couple of typical motorcycle accidents and then provides a video interview with an MSF instructor. Here's an excerpt:

"It's spring, and a perfect time for Victor 'Doc' Moss to take a ride on his motorcycle. He's been riding for more than 40 years, and has never had an accident. 'I've never been down and I don't say I've never been down because of luck,' said Moss. 'After a half-million miles, it's because I'm thinking 'what do I need to do to stay alive in this?' Moss is a riding instructor, so safety is a priority for him. 'Motorcycles have certain inherent risks that are greater than a car, and if you don't understand those and how this machine works, you're putting yourself in danger,' Moss said." -- Molly Waldron, ktnv.com

Now, read the article and watch the video.

For more ways to be safe out there, read my 10 Ways to Be Safe on a Motorcycle.

Women Motorcycle Riders Love the Freedom of the Road

Each year, more and more women riders are taking to the road riding their own motorcycles. Here's an excerpt from an article appearing in the Asbury Park Press, written by Chris Jordan:

"Call Andrea Zivari Giannoglou of Montville a happy biker. 'Every day is a lot of fun to go to work,' said Zivari Giannoglou, 48. 'If I have to go to the bank or something, those little side trips make me very happy, because getting on my motorcycle gives me a sense of freedom. It's beautiful out, and there are lots of smells, and it’s just a fun thing for me to do.'" -- Chris Jordan

Read more of this article and view a video from a lady rider.

Learn more about women in motorcycling.

Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF) to Sponsor Real-Time Accident Study

100 motorcycles, specially equipped with sensors and cameras, will be used in a first-ever MSF study to better understand motorcycle accidents. Here's an excerpt from an article published by Motor Sports Newswire:

"The first rider participating in the first-ever MSF 100 Motorcyclists Naturalistic Study rode off with a fully instrumented, data-logging bike from the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI) last week, marking the start of the year-long research project. Each of the 100 bikes, routinely being ridden in real-world traffic, and equipped with an array of data acquisition systems, will provide comprehensive, real-time, near-crash, pre-crash and actual-crash information that is unprecedented in motorcycle research."

Read more.