In An Instant

You are just getting started.  You feel good about passing your MSF course and are ready to take on the world.  Life changes in an instant and accidents do happen.  Here are 4 moments that will cause your heart to race and have you thinking you’re seconds away from meeting your maker in an accident of epic proportions. They might just do you in..

• Riding beyond your skill level.

Its sounds simple enough, but it happens to everyone.  You are plugging along  enjoying the sensations, the wind, sun, sights , and sounds.   All the sudden, you have to make a decision.  Turn, swerve, brake, or all of the above and have an accident.    In a instant, you’ll lock up and forget everything you’ve been taught.    There are old riders and bold riders, there are no old & bold riders.   Speed will push you beyond your skills very quick.

• Turning too wide.

Coming up on a busy intersection, you get ready to turn right and continue on with your day. The problem is, your approach/turn is mistimed.  You end up going wide and directly into the opposite lane.   No do over, not mulligan.  If you are lucky, you’ll just get side clipped.   If not, you’ll experience a head on.   Not a good end to your day.

• Intersection of Death.

You have to be cautious with these.  Those multi-lane intersections with multiple turn lanes. Left & Right and throw in some obstacles for good measure.    These , while in your car seem harmless as long as you’re going with the flow.   Jump on your two wheeled motpony and you turn into ghost rider.   No one can see you.   That is what it will feel like.   Every other intersection you approach there will be some minimally attentive driver that decides to turn in front of you.   You are either going to splat like a mosquito on a table top getting smashed by a book or you are going to go airborne like the carnival side show guy flying out of the cannon.   The only issue is you wont have a net to land on.

• Failing to turn the correct way.

When cornering, you are not in a car . You are in fact on an a gyroscopic balance device that wants to move on its own.   Counter-steer .  Push one way, the bike goes another.   Lets just say that if you panic and have not figured this out, you’ll go head on into whatever it is you are trying to avoid.  Sign, boulder, or even semi.   Game over