One very important thing to remember and practice: MISTAKES aren't usually what leads to an accident, YOUR REACTION TO THAT MISTAKE is.
Iow, when we lose the rear end, that is not what causes are accident, rather our reaction to that action is what puts us on the ground. It's our reaction to something that happened different from what we expected. There is a method to help with recovering from mistakes/ unknown quantities and that's not focusing on what just happened, but what you WANT to happen next.
If we blow a DY corner and end up in the other lane, it's far past the time to concentrate on why we blew the double yellow, how stupid this must look, or getting back on track as soon as possible. What should happen is a process for all mistakes/ unknown quantities (by that, I mean a car pulling out in front, etc). Once the DY is blown, it's time to evaluate the best course to safety. 99% of the time it's going to be riding back to the correct side of the road. Some situations may dictate that's not the best course of action (perhaps you're so far over the DY, you'd be best to pull off the far side of the road and stop if possible). So first, evaluate where you are and what your best course of action is. A common mistake in blowing the DY is to keep the speed up, yet try to get back to the other side of the road as fast as possible. This can exacerbate the issue of an accident as your closing distance from oncoming lane traffic is decreasing quicker not due to oncoming traffic, but due to the overexuberance to get back into the correct lane.
1. CUT YOUR SPEED IF IT'S THE SAFEST COURSE OF ACTION. Modern brakes on cars/ bikes work very well. Opposing traffic will cut their speed as well if they have good reactions. There's no need to accelerate towards opposing traffic if that can be avoided.
2. DO NOT FOCUS ON WHAT JUST HAPPENED. I can't tell you how many times I've instructed/ followed riders who ride off track and back on, shaking their heads and slowing down. The fact of the matter is, there is little danger now that they're back on track. The incident is over and there's another turn coming up. Some will crash in the very next turn due to focusing on what just happened and not what is going to happen next. Once a mistake is made, it's made. Don't rehash the mistake until you're on safe terms. We can't take back time, we can control what happens in the future.
3. FOCUS ON YOUR PLAN FOR SAFETY/ RECOVERY. Many times, depending on the situation, this will be reactionary/ instinctive. When the rear slides, we roll off a tad and try and hook the rear tire up, listening to the engine note as we do so. It's mostly instinctive it happens so fast. When we blow a corner, we have a much more complicated recovery plan, where we need to scrub speed, look for our turn in/ look for our exit, and look for other bikes (this is a track scenario).
4. SIGHT YOUR PATH TO SAFETY. Find a route to safety, by avoiding the biggest risk factor (usually this is an auto). Collisions that are multi vehicle are something I'd avoid at all costs. Spot a clean route and go for that route.
5. ACCEPT THAT YOU MAY CRASH, BUT NOT INTO THE MOST DANGEROUS OBJECT. This is likely going to be a highly controversial point, but there are times when there is just no chance you're not going to crash. Aim to put your bike/ trajectory away from the most dangerous objects. Some people speak of "having to lay it down". This is NOT that ridiculous statement. Your bike will stop far better with brakes than on the ground sliding. However, if you've blown a DY so bad that getting back to your side before hitting opposing traffic is a reality, it may be best to continue on across the stream of traffic. Horrible thought, but if there's runoff on the other side, it may be worth the chance. Yes, you will crash your bike there too, but with less variables. You can (and many many racers do...if you watch moto racing) ride out a run into the dirt. You cannot ride out a collision with an auto/ bike head on.
6. PLAY OUT SCENARIOS IN YOUR HEAD. Play out the "what would you do if..." scenario. Train your mind to respond only to the most important stimulus when in a panic situation when going about daily life. Accident recovery is about being a prepared rider and a mind that can assign critical tasks while avoiding non critical ones. If we blow the DY, let's not panic and lock up the rear brake...instead let's focus on using the front brakes (the bike's still under control) and sighting our escape route.
7. LEARN TO MOVE YOUR HEAD IN PANIC SITUATIONS. Move your head and eyes...take it all in, so you don't target fixate. Mentally assign your brain to handle the most complex task. We don't care about how our friends view us now, nor how embarrassing this is. We care about making it back to safety.
Alright...now let's ride!
Iow, when we lose the rear end, that is not what causes are accident, rather our reaction to that action is what puts us on the ground. It's our reaction to something that happened different from what we expected. There is a method to help with recovering from mistakes/ unknown quantities and that's not focusing on what just happened, but what you WANT to happen next.
If we blow a DY corner and end up in the other lane, it's far past the time to concentrate on why we blew the double yellow, how stupid this must look, or getting back on track as soon as possible. What should happen is a process for all mistakes/ unknown quantities (by that, I mean a car pulling out in front, etc). Once the DY is blown, it's time to evaluate the best course to safety. 99% of the time it's going to be riding back to the correct side of the road. Some situations may dictate that's not the best course of action (perhaps you're so far over the DY, you'd be best to pull off the far side of the road and stop if possible). So first, evaluate where you are and what your best course of action is. A common mistake in blowing the DY is to keep the speed up, yet try to get back to the other side of the road as fast as possible. This can exacerbate the issue of an accident as your closing distance from oncoming lane traffic is decreasing quicker not due to oncoming traffic, but due to the overexuberance to get back into the correct lane.
1. CUT YOUR SPEED IF IT'S THE SAFEST COURSE OF ACTION. Modern brakes on cars/ bikes work very well. Opposing traffic will cut their speed as well if they have good reactions. There's no need to accelerate towards opposing traffic if that can be avoided.
2. DO NOT FOCUS ON WHAT JUST HAPPENED. I can't tell you how many times I've instructed/ followed riders who ride off track and back on, shaking their heads and slowing down. The fact of the matter is, there is little danger now that they're back on track. The incident is over and there's another turn coming up. Some will crash in the very next turn due to focusing on what just happened and not what is going to happen next. Once a mistake is made, it's made. Don't rehash the mistake until you're on safe terms. We can't take back time, we can control what happens in the future.
3. FOCUS ON YOUR PLAN FOR SAFETY/ RECOVERY. Many times, depending on the situation, this will be reactionary/ instinctive. When the rear slides, we roll off a tad and try and hook the rear tire up, listening to the engine note as we do so. It's mostly instinctive it happens so fast. When we blow a corner, we have a much more complicated recovery plan, where we need to scrub speed, look for our turn in/ look for our exit, and look for other bikes (this is a track scenario).
4. SIGHT YOUR PATH TO SAFETY. Find a route to safety, by avoiding the biggest risk factor (usually this is an auto). Collisions that are multi vehicle are something I'd avoid at all costs. Spot a clean route and go for that route.
5. ACCEPT THAT YOU MAY CRASH, BUT NOT INTO THE MOST DANGEROUS OBJECT. This is likely going to be a highly controversial point, but there are times when there is just no chance you're not going to crash. Aim to put your bike/ trajectory away from the most dangerous objects. Some people speak of "having to lay it down". This is NOT that ridiculous statement. Your bike will stop far better with brakes than on the ground sliding. However, if you've blown a DY so bad that getting back to your side before hitting opposing traffic is a reality, it may be best to continue on across the stream of traffic. Horrible thought, but if there's runoff on the other side, it may be worth the chance. Yes, you will crash your bike there too, but with less variables. You can (and many many racers do...if you watch moto racing) ride out a run into the dirt. You cannot ride out a collision with an auto/ bike head on.
6. PLAY OUT SCENARIOS IN YOUR HEAD. Play out the "what would you do if..." scenario. Train your mind to respond only to the most important stimulus when in a panic situation when going about daily life. Accident recovery is about being a prepared rider and a mind that can assign critical tasks while avoiding non critical ones. If we blow the DY, let's not panic and lock up the rear brake...instead let's focus on using the front brakes (the bike's still under control) and sighting our escape route.
7. LEARN TO MOVE YOUR HEAD IN PANIC SITUATIONS. Move your head and eyes...take it all in, so you don't target fixate. Mentally assign your brain to handle the most complex task. We don't care about how our friends view us now, nor how embarrassing this is. We care about making it back to safety.
Alright...now let's ride!
Thanks Berto.