Exit Strategies
Sometimes when I am “forced” to attend a meeting or a gathering that I am not too keen to be at, I plan an “Exit Strategy” to help me get out of there as soon as possible. You know what I mean. We have all done it at one time or another. However, as a motorcycle rider, do you have an exit strategy for the various situations you will face when you ride? I don’t mean a road or a ramp where you get off from the street or highway on, but rather do you have an idea, strategy or“exit” to avoid a potential incident that could completely ruin your day or life?
As motorcyclist we have to be completely aware of our surroundings at all times, and as any trainer would tell you, your ability to have good “Rider Radar” of 12-14 seconds down the road is imperative. However, don’t forget what is happening beside you and behind you is also important. That is your “situational awareness” and it is crucial to helping you stay out of harms way. But, we sometimes are taken by surprise, missed something either because we ‘just missed it” or didn’t recognize it as being important, or something happens that we didn’t expect “comes out of the blue”, or green, or red, or....., you get the idea. A lot of this “missed information” is based on our own assumptions that what we expect should happen will continue to happen as we believe it should, based on the information we are taking in through mostly by our eyes. We have to move away from assuming that everything will go as it should and by becoming more vigilant and prepared we can set up “exit strategies” before we need them.
One example is you are on the freeway and the vehicles are travelling along at, say, 110 km/h, and traffic is moving smoothly. You are making good progress and you have your mind thinking more about your destination instead of what is or could be occurring around you (complacency anyone?) All of a sudden, your lane comes almost to a complete stop, for no apparent reason. What now? Have you prepared for this? We’re you ware of that the traffic was coming to a stop? Were you at least a minimum of 2 seconds behind the vehicle in front of you? Where is the vehicle behind you? How close was it and can it stop, and what about those behind it, can they stop? If not, where do you go? Can I lane split safely to avoid getting rear ended? If you are in the outside lanes, can I get out onto the highway edges, even if it means getting into the ditch or next to separating barriers?
As motorcyclist we have to be completely aware of our surroundings at all times, and as any trainer would tell you, your ability to have good “Rider Radar” of 12-14 seconds down the road is imperative. However, don’t forget what is happening beside you and behind you is also important. That is your “situational awareness” and it is crucial to helping you stay out of harms way. But, we sometimes are taken by surprise, missed something either because we ‘just missed it” or didn’t recognize it as being important, or something happens that we didn’t expect “comes out of the blue”, or green, or red, or....., you get the idea. A lot of this “missed information” is based on our own assumptions that what we expect should happen will continue to happen as we believe it should, based on the information we are taking in through mostly by our eyes. We have to move away from assuming that everything will go as it should and by becoming more vigilant and prepared we can set up “exit strategies” before we need them.
One example is you are on the freeway and the vehicles are travelling along at, say, 110 km/h, and traffic is moving smoothly. You are making good progress and you have your mind thinking more about your destination instead of what is or could be occurring around you (complacency anyone?) All of a sudden, your lane comes almost to a complete stop, for no apparent reason. What now? Have you prepared for this? We’re you ware of that the traffic was coming to a stop? Were you at least a minimum of 2 seconds behind the vehicle in front of you? Where is the vehicle behind you? How close was it and can it stop, and what about those behind it, can they stop? If not, where do you go? Can I lane split safely to avoid getting rear ended? If you are in the outside lanes, can I get out onto the highway edges, even if it means getting into the ditch or next to separating barriers?
Another example: you have stopped behind a vehicle on the street. Similar to the freeway example, have you prepared for a possible rear end hit by parking at an angle, far enough from the stopped vehicle in front of you to exercise an escape if you need to? Where will your exit or escape take you - onto the shoulder, in between vehicles, into on-coming traffic, into an intersection?
As I ride down the road, I try to be aware of what is 12-14 seconds ahead of me and scanning for all possible situations that could might occur. At the same time I am checking behind me, at least every 5 seconds or so, to also keep “surprises” from happening from a different location around me. Through all of this, I am planning an “exit” for all the potential scenarios that might pop up (especially at intersections!!!). It may seem like a lot of work, but it does keep your eyes moving and searching for issues that can be avoided before they occur (Rider Radar). It isn’t perfect, and you may not be able to avoid all the pitfalls a cyclist has to contend with, but by planning an “exit strategy” for the riding conditions, it could be the difference between having a good ride, and a not-so-good ride.