Although avoiding a crash is every motorcyclist’s goal when they lose control, sometimes crashing is the better option. If well done, you can prevent personal injuries, and the only thing you’ll damage is your precious motorcycle.
It’s more like sacrificing your motorcycle to save your life, which is the most logical thing to do in an imminent crash.
While the words crash and safety usually don’t share the same sentence as they mean two different things, they are designed to work together in this case. This article shares the procedure on how to safely crash a motorcycle.
6 Best Tips for Crashing a Motorcycle Safely
Now, if you find yourself in a situation where the only way to avoid serious injury or fatality is by crashing your motorcycle, then take that chance. Here are six tips to help you.
1. Slow Down
Usually, the impact of a motorcycle crash is more severe when you speed up.
It’s also worth mentioning that whenever you come off an object in motion, you’ll keep moving at the same speed as the object. This means that if you jump off a bike moving at 50 mph (miles per hour), you’ll keep moving at 50 mph.
If you want to crash safely, you must slow down unless the brakes fail to engage.
If the brakes are working well, engage them progressively. You should first apply the front brakes and then engage the rear brakes to distribute your weight on the motorcycle. That will help to avoid knee-jacks when crashing.
2. Pick the Safest Crashing Spot
Not every spot is safe for crashing. If you get it wrong here, then it’s likely you’ll suffer a severe injury when you crash.
Overall, you should avoid hitting vehicles head-on or landing on hard surfaces. You should also avoid crashing into buildings or road structures. Be sure to look for softer grounds, like grassy patches or dirt heaps to crash into for maximum cushioning.
If you must collide with a solid object, strike it by the motorcycle’s side and not head-on to reduce the impact of the collision.
3. Brace Yourself for the Crash (Prepare Your Body)
Once you decide to crash your motorcycle, your safety becomes a priority. Assuming you already have a helmet and other safety gear on, the remaining thing is to protect your body from the heavy landing and impact.
In that case, consider the tuck-and-roll approach, which goes as follows:
- Tuck your body in by drawing the knees close to the stomach and the chin next to the chest. This technique protects your most delicate body parts, such as the heart.
- After tucking in your body, dive to land with the shoulder and then smoothly roll when you get close to the ground.
- Keep rolling in the ball position. You can either shift into a kneeling position as you come out of the ball position or straighten your legs and immediately stand up, assuming a running position.
4. Relax and Let Go
Though relaxing in the middle of a crash sounds unreal, it could help you compose yourself and crash safer. Overall, relaxing your body reduces the risk of puncturing soft tissue or fracturing a bone when you roll on the ground.
Once you feel like it’s time to toss yourself on the ground, then let go of the bike. Remember, the bike is likely to roll faster than you. Letting go of it allows you to sacrifice it on your behalf.
5. Sometimes Staying on the Bike Works
Sometimes, holding onto the motorcycle as you crash keeps you safe. We’re not saying that you hold on to it until you crash, but until you find a safe spot to roll. Avoid going into panic mode and getting off the bike prematurely.
Remember, holding onto the bike is more important if the surface you are about to roll poses some danger. In that case, the bike gets to feel most of the impact instead of you.
But once you feel safer to let it go, do it and allow your motorcycle to slide out in a different direction.
6. Be Ready to Stand When It’s Safe to Do So
Your body will come to a natural stop after rolling on the ground for some time. When that happens, you should look around before standing. If you use the tuck-and-roll tactic appropriately, you can either start by shifting to a kneeling position or standing up immediately into a running position.
Don’t, however, be in a hurry to stand up unless there is imminent danger, like an oncoming car. If it’s safer to stay there, do it and wait for paramedics to arrive.
What to Do After a Motorcycle Crash
Now that you’ve safely crashed your motorcycle, what’s next? Well, here are the things to do:
- Call for help – Shout for help or even dial 911 if you can.
- Seek medical aid – If you notice any bleeding or cuts, wait for the paramedics’ arrival or go to the hospital right away if you can.
- Try to assist – If you are not severely injured, try to help others. It could be a pillion passenger you were carrying.
- Report the incident – If the police don’t turn up at the scene, head to the nearest police station and make a formal report.
Just before you go…
Now you know how to safely crash a motorcycle. If it ever gets to a point where you can’t avoid crashing your bike, then you better do it safely. It’s all about sacrificing your sweet ride for your invaluable life, and here are other of our articles to reinforce the concepts in this one:
- Textile vs leather motorcycle clothing: the differences and similarities
- Motorcycle safety course by the Motorcycle Safety Foundation
- Having some fun motorcycling
- Afraid of crashing? Here are reasons to avoid riding a motorbike
People Also Ask
The topic of safe motorcycle crashing elicits many questions from motorcyclists. Here are the ones topping the list.
How Likely Are You to Crash On a Motorcycle?
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), motorcyclists are 29 times more likely to die in a crash than users of passenger cars. The chances of motorcycle crashes are higher than those of car crashes.
What Should You Do at a Motorcycle Crash?
Your goal in a motorcycle crash is to prevent bodily injuries and not put anyone at risk. You should crash safely and avoid involving other road users as much as you can. Once you crash safely, ensure you call for help.
What Is the Most Common Cause of Motorcycle Accidents?
The most typical cause of motorcycle accidents is ignorance. Most motorcyclists ignore simple traffic rules like staying within the recommended speed limits.
Is It Easy to Fall Off a Motorcycle?
Motorcycle riding is all about control. Once you lose it, then it’s pretty probable that you’ll fall. That could happen because of a distraction while riding, winter snow, or bad weather like heavy rains and high winds.
