Before establishing how risky riding a motorcycle is, I think it would be useful to first define the term “risk”.
In an older article – The Theory of Risk in Mountaineering – about the risks of mountain walking, Marian Anghel quotes Ulrich Beck who defines risk as a potential danger, more or less visible.
In this article, we will try to make a comparison between mountain climbing and motorcycling, keeping the general line from the article described above as follows:
Two factors are essential in establishing the risk, namely its multiplication:
probability of occurrence & consequences
If one of these two elements is low, then the risk is also low, no matter how high the other factor is.
For example
A group of children leaves Cluj on a bus to Bicazului Gorge. The probability of them colliding with a large tonnage truck is small. However, if such a thing were to happen, the consequences could be fatal, (maximum consequences).
If we ride a bike in the summer on a forest trail, in a hilly area, we will very likely have small scratches caused by vegetation or insect stings that do not endanger our lives in any way. The consequences are obviously minor, but the probability of occurrence is high.
Risk perception:
From the perspective of someone who doesn’t do it, motorcycling is similar in places to mountain climbing. In both situations, the outside perception is that bikers are fools who do their best to put themselves in dangerous situations at any cost, senseless rebels or even organ donors. Motorcycling therefore appears as an extremely dangerous and risky activity.
If we were to go back to the two factors that help us determine the Risk, we think we all agree that, especially in Romania, but not only, the probability of an unfortunate road accident is quite high due to well-known factors, on which we will not detail here. By “unfortunate road event” we mean accidents on the roads in which all types of vehicles or pedestrians are involved.
Unlike hiking, where we can frame hazards as objective (those hazards that exist regardless of whether we are there or not, such as weather, for example, or nature in general) or subjective (those hazards that we have control over, which are related to our behaviour or conduct, to the decisions we make), riding a motorcycle adds an unforeseen and unpredictable element – other road participants (we could probably include this element in objective dangers).
It is not wrong to conclude that riding a motorcycle is not for everyone and that the dangers can be of an objective, subjective nature, to which we also add an important element of unpredictability. Why, then, are we so much in love with motorcycling and what can we do to minimize the risks? (not to 0, because almost no human activity has 0 risks).
Riding a motorcycle is an adventure that gives a feeling similar to the one we experienced when we were children and we were riding our bikes with our friends. Thus, the motorcycle gives you the chance to extend that adventure also as an adult, regardless of age. Alone or with a group of friends, over distances of just a few kilometres or on long expeditions, riding a motorcycle will put a smile on your face every time and at any age. Thus, we do not seek danger. We are looking for adventure and that feeling of well-being that we experience on a motorcycle.
We have five tips that we hope will be of use to you
1. Don’t hit the road, even if it’s hot and you are confident about your reflexes and experience without full gear. – Gear Up
2. Try to perfect your style and riding ability regardless of age or experience. You will always have new things to learn. That is unless you’re Valentino Rossi.
3. Be humble in traffic. Don’t brag or push the limits of your motorcycle or of yourself. You have nothing to prove to anyone.
4. Respect traffic rules as much as possible.
5. The motorcycle must bring us joy and relaxation. Don’t start the journey if you are agitated or angry. Most of the time, this does not help and can lead to bad decisions.
These are some practical aspects that we, the people from Moto-Moto, have listed here. They are not enough to guarantee 100% safety on the motorcycle, but they will certainly help you. Every time we are behind the handlebars, we try to be motorcycle ambassadors. We try to ride responsibly and respectfully and enjoy this wonderful hobby. You should also be Moto-Moto ambassadors 🙂
