Keep your eyes on the Road
Not without reason are Thai roads considered to be the most hazardous on the planet. Ask any adventure-seeker on his motorcycle crossing Thailand en route his global rendezvous and there'll be a spark in his eye when he talks to you about the sights of our country and how it has been a life changing experience for him to travel across Thailand.Then ask him about the riding part and how our roads and commuters compare to what he has encountered on his journey and they'll be a sudden transformation from awe to disgust.
Let's face it; every other commuter on our road is a potential hazard and for our part we can do more than just pray, to reach our destination safe and sound. Being able to identify potential hazards as early as possible may well be the most valuable skill a rider can learn. If you can see ahead, predict a hazard and take avoiding action well before the threat reaches you, you will vastly improve your safety.
We would like to give some pointers, which you can use to train yourself to identify potential hazards.
The main cause of road traffic accidents is not excessive speed or loss of control, but poor observation - 'falling to look' or 'looking but not seeing'. What we actually need to do is avoid focusing on one area and concentrate on the entire picture.
Keep your eyes moving, search the road ahead, look into junctions, search for potholes, look ahead for activity, people turning etc. Whatever you do, don't keep your eyes focused in one place. An example of anticipating hazard is: you see a ball bounce across the road, so you should expect a kid following it. Or, when you spot breaks in the tree or building line ahead, there could be a hidden junction.
The idea is to remain aware about your surroundings at all times, and not daydream, and react by seeing clues rather than be forced to react at the last moment.
The main cause of accidents involving motorcyclists is where another road-user is at fault He had either not seen you or expected you to stop though he should have been doing all the braking.
Remember that a car driver will almost certainly underestimate the approach time of a motorcyclist and that motorcycles are less noticeable than other bigger vehicles. For some strange reason it hurts a car driver's ego if a motorcycle overtakes him especially on the highway. If you're faced with such a situation, it's best to move out of the way if the driver tries to race you.
Tag: Thai-Roads Safety Danger Hazardous Road-Safety Protection Motorcycles Rider Riding Accident Crash
