Police riders' handbook to better motorcycling - Motorcycle road craft

[rustic101]

I read a thread the other day in which a rider was given the reference number to this book written on her infringement notice (for speeding), also noted the rider had no gloves an indication the bike is normally stolen.

Anyway, I now have a copy of the book and am very impressed. It is my intention to start putting some posts up around the topics. One in particular is the 'Mental Characteristics of a Good Rider'.

Will also draft up some of the spreadsheets and check lists they have which are very good.

More than likely there will be the knockers on here, however if even one person takes notice then I will have achieved a goal.

I laughed hard, very hard when I read this - 'Just reading Motorcycle Road Craft will not make you a better rider. Practise is an essential and the most important part of learning any new skill....' I have read so many threads on KB about what you should or shouldn't do and wonder if its from personal experience or well a mate of mine...

Anywhoooo. I'll start writing in the weekend

[davebullet]

Looking forward to it.

It would be nice to see a condensed version of all the commonly agreed techniques in one book.

[Okey Dokey]

Is it written by US cops, Kiwi cops, UK cops?

[george formby]

I did an advanced riding course in the UK years ago with the Met, instructors from the Police training college. What an eye opener, I expected constant life savers & upright "proper" riding. Oh no, it was all about line's, visibility & a wonderful term "making progress" which could be translated as overtaking in the most unlikely places making full use of a bike's performance. I look forward to your post's, in my experience the cop's really know how to ride a bike.

[rapid van cleef]

I also did an advanced rider training course in UK with a Police instructor and it was excellent. All about lines and making swift progress.........i was going quick and i was being 'advised' to go faster, faster faster, by the instructor'. In my experience, the police cops in UK are regarded as very very highly skilled riders by most bikers in UK.

[XP@]

Looks like it is by the UK police. From the looks of the contents I would like to have a read...
http://www.tsoshop.co.uk/gempdf/TSO_...troduction.pdf

And yup follow the cop's persuit style of riding and it's amazing just how quickly you can get places without going really fast.

[Okey Dokey]

Mmmm... sounds really interesting!

[SPman]

...also noted the rider had no gloves an indication the bike is normally stolen.

In that case, about half the bikes in Aus. are stolen.......

[NordieBoy]

That looks quite interesting...

[rustic101]

Yeah sorry its a UK version (third ed)

[george formby]

Yeah sorry its a UK version (third ed)

Not a bad thing. Last time I was in blighty I saw a Police R1 on the motorway. What a great job!

[Ixion]

I look forward to viewing the excerpts.

(Where the HELL is the download! )

[Tricia1000]

It is the UK cop book. It has been adopted by the NZ police. This is the curriculum that I teach on my advanced courses, it is the basis for all motorcycle riding and parts of it I teach and find very useful in defensive riding. Most everything we do, can be simplified using the five phases of motorcycle control. Making progress isn't just about overtaking though, it is also about using and anticipating the traffic situations to move more fluidly and less obtrusively through the traffic.
If anyone would like some practical sessions on what they read in this book, give me a shout.. I recommend this book 1000%. Unfortunately the only part that the NZ cops haven't quite decided to adopt though, is the bit (off the top of my head) on page 139, which states, that a rider can use the motorcycles small size and manoeuvrability to filter (Lane split) through the traffic. If you failed to do this on an advanced riding teste UK or Ireland, you would be failed. Here is depends on the cop on the day, and whether you were filtering in a considerate and safe manner.

Tricia

[rustic101]

1. The mental characteristics of a good rider

This chapter is about how you can become a better rider. It focuses not on the physical but mental aspects of riding skills, looks at how attitudes and concentration affect riding performance.

Research evidence shows that attitudes affect riding safety, but developing appropriate attitudes is not simple. It depends on recognising that attitudes are important, and on making a personal commitment to changing attitudes that are safe.

2. What makes a good rider

Good riders have a quite efficiency in their actions and this derives from:

• A good level of concentration
• Accurate observation
• Matching the machine’s speed and direction to the situation
• Awareness of the risks inherent in particular road and traffic situations
• Acting to keep identified risks to a minimum
• Awareness of their own limitations and those of the machine and the road
• Skilful use of machine controls
• Attitudes that contribute to road safety

It is not simply the speed of your reactions that determines whether you are a safe rider but your ability to identify and respond to hazards. Being able to respond quickly to simple stimuli such as noise and light does not in itself reduce accident risks. Young, inexperienced riders typically have very fast reactions to stimuli but very slow reactions to traffic hazards.

The ability to detect hazards is learnt like any other skill and depends partly on experience. More experienced riders develop a sensitivity to the early indications of possible trouble. When risks arise they monitor them at a subconscious level in readiness to respond quickly if the situation developes dangerously. Because they are more aware of potential danger they are more alert while riding, and this helps to sustain their concentration.

3. Traffic accidents

Most riders think they are both safer and more skilful than the average rider – but we cannot all be right. In more than 90% of traffic accidents, human error is the cause, accidents do not just happen by chance, they are the consequence of unsafe riding practices. Riding safety cannot be thought of as an add-on extra; it has to be built into the way we ride.

Road accidents

Traffic accidents account for:

• Almost half of all accidental deaths in Britain
• Nearly a quarter of all adult deaths under 30, whether accidental or not – they are the largest single cause of death for young adults.

Your likelihood of having an accident

Average car drivers cover about 10,000 miles a year and have a one in seven chance of an accident during that time. Compared with drivers, the risk for motorcyclists is much greater. They are:

• More than 35 times more likely to be killed or seriously injured
• Eight times more likely to be involved in an accident which results in injury
• 20 times more likely to be injured themselves

Riders who have a greater than average risk of having an accident are:

• Those travelling more miles than average per year
• Younger riders, especially men
• Inexperienced riders

Who is most likely to be involved in a motorcycle accidents?

Statistics show that, overwhelmingly, it is young, inexperienced males who are most likely to be involved in a motorcycle accident:

• 93% of riders involved in injury accidents are male
• The peak age for being killed on a motorbike is 17
• Comparing riders aged 20 and riders aged 30 with the same riding experience, the 20 year olds have three times the accident risk of the 30 year olds
• Comparing riders of the same age, those in their first year of riding have three times greater risk of accident than those in their sixth year of riding
• The average rider starting at 17 will have had more than eight accidents by the age of 35

What are the likeliest sorts of accidents?

We can also tell you from statistics which are the commonest types of motorcycle accidents:

• Three-quarters of accidents occur in built up areas
• Just over half the fatalities occur in non built up areas
• 15% of accidents occur during overtaking
• 12% of accidents occur during cornering
• 30% of accidents in wet weather involve a skid

Do we learn from our mistakes?

Sadly the evidence shows that we do not learn very well from our mistakes. Even after taking account of age, sex, annual mileage and riding experience, some riders are consistently more at risk than others:

• Riders who have had an accident in the previous three years are three times more likely than average to have an accident in the following year.

We know that drivers tend to repeat the same type of accident and the same is true for riders. If you have an accident or near miss you should think very carefully about what you could have done to avoid the situation. If you do not learn from your mistakes you are more likely to repeat the same mistake.

Riding to Close

The practice of following too close to the vehicle in front gives a valuable insight into the way accidents happen. Because errors go unpunished – that is, they are not always followed by an accident – they develop into bad habits which increase the risk that one day the rider will be involved in an accident.

Resistance to learning from experience

These facts show that we are not good at learning from our experiences. Most riders involved in accidents do not accept that they contributed to it. If you think that you did not contribute to the accident, you will also think that you have nothing to learn from it, and your riding technique, together with any faults contributed to the accident, will remain unchanged.

To become a better rider, we have to recognise the resistance in ourselves to accepting responsibility, and take steps to overcome it. The first step is to recognise that we all have a resistance to learning. Once we have learnt to do something routinely we are very reluctant to alter that routine, whatever the evidence that is does not work.

Key Point - Every near miss and accident needs to be seen as an opportunity to re-evaluate and improve your riding technique.

Next section

How Attitude Affects Good Riding

[Toaster]

Not a bad thing. Last time I was in blighty I saw a Police R1 on the motorway. What a great job!

They have a mufti Hayabusa too... and a range of good pursuit vehicles.