My Riding Affirmations

Starting with the basic objectives:

• ALWAYS be in control your motorcycle, whatever it takes.
• Do not hit anything.
• Stay on the road, unless you choose to leave it in an orderly fashion.

Motorcycle riding is a THINKING PERSON'S SPORT. Use your head to stay alive. Keep your eyes on alert. Anticipate the driving errors of others. Watch the road for those little "gotcha's" that make tires slip. Plan your path around things early enough and you will have few if any of those "adrenaline moments" to remember your ride by.

Remember, your safety on a motorcycle is TOTALLY and UNEQUIVICALLY your responsibility. This means that ALL other moving objects in your vicinity HAVE THE RIGHT OF WAY by simple virtue of their greater size. The only right you have as a motorcyclist is the right to plan your way through this minefield of potential collisions. If you think this is impossible or simply too much work, then Asteroids would not have been such a riveting game in it's day.

You have no control over what other vehicles do. But --- you DO have control over your motorcycle. So exercise it. Here is an ideal opportunity to indulge your control issues. CONTROL YOURSELF. Give yourself the time and space to stay out of potentially hazardous situations. Communicate to others your intentions of changing speed or direction. Make yourself easily seen by riding at a speed that allows others to see and recognize you before they proceed into your path of travel. Wear bright clothing, better yet, wear a Retro-Reflective Vest over your riding gear.

The most valuable tools that you have for riding safely are your mental capabilities of SEEING, THINKING, PLANNING, and DECIDING. The MSF has a catchy acronym for it called: SEE - Search, Evaluate, and Execute. The older course called it SIPDE - Scan, Interpret, Predict, Decide, and Execute. Whatever you want to call them, it's up to you to CHOOSE to use your head in order to insure the safest possible path to take. Ride Proud, Ride Smart, ride so others can see you. Give them a chance to wish that they were on their own bikes!

• I will remind myself that my first mistake while riding, will probably be the last mistake I'll ever make.
   
  
• I know that I cannot make others drive in a safe manner. Therefore, I must adapt my riding style to accommodate the errors others will make, in order to insure my own safety.
   
  
• I know that experiencing "adrenaline moments" during a ride is an indication that I am not giving myself enough time to process the environment I am riding in. So I will slow down and use this as a guide in determining if I am applying effective street strategies. I will then adjust my riding accordingly. Remember, learning is defined as "a change in behavior based on new information".
   
  
• I know that my collision-avoidance skills can shave seconds off of my reaction time in the event of a close encounter. Therefore, I will practice these skills on a periodic basis in order to keep them in good order should I ever need them.
   
  
• I will allow no one to anger me when I am riding. Negative emotions have the same effect as alcohol, the first thing to go is judgement.
   
  
• I will always keep my guard up. The moment I become complacent and begin to feel "safe", I will get blind sided by the vehicle I didn't see. If I can spot the potential hazards first, I can prevent them from becoming crash factors. I know that my reaction time is reduced by half, if the hazard is expected and not a surprise.
   
  
• I will react to a potential hazard as soon as I see it. I know that the earlier I respond to a potential hazard, the less of a response is required in order to clear the collision point. As a result, it makes me feel like I am flowing around the obstructions, rather than missing them by inches.
   
  
• I will fully commit myself to riding my motorcycle in a manner that offers the least amount of risk to myself, to my bike, and to my passenger (if I have one). This means that I will use the power of my intent and my training and do whatever is necessary to make my journey safe and thus enjoyable.
   
  
• I will always allow for unexpected events or problems during my ride, and I will deal with them as they occur.
   
  
• I will personally be responsible for the mechanical condition of my bike. I will remind myself that my bike is what separates me from the road!
   
  
• I know that every time I ride, it's a new game with new odds, no matter how long I have been riding. Just because I've been riding this long without incident, does not diminish the risk factors of each ride I take.
   
  
• Before riding, I will remind myself that this may be the last ride I take. If this thought gives me pause, I will take the car instead.
   
  
• I will remind my brain that crashing, going down, losing control, or any other destructive response is NOT an optional solution no matter what the road situation.
   
  
• I will always strive to remain in control of my motorcycle, no matter what it takes. This means if I have to paddle-walk my bike to turn around, you will just have to wait!
   
  
• I will always take the time I need when I ride. Better to ARRIVE ALIVE, than not at all! So I'm late, deal with it!
   
  
• I will remain calm in the face of danger when riding. I will reserve my panic for AFTER I am safely parked and off of the motorcycle. I know that the brain ceases to process data when the emotions take control.
   
  
• I will avoid riding on snow covered roads, ice, or during snow or sleet events whenever I can.
   
  
• I will always strive to be a courteous rider by:
   
  
  • Clearly and consistently signaling my intentions to other vehicles at a rate that they can respond to. This means letting my turn signal blink a few times before actually changing lanes. And then remembering to cancel it when I am done.
     
    
  • Allowing other vehicles who are in a hurry to pass me (even if that means pulling over when safe to do so, to allow them to pass - better to pull over than to get run over!)
     
    
  • Always giving myself enough space to respond to traffic conditions so that those vehicles behind me can comfortably respond to me. This means that if I see brake lights 5 cars ahead, I will tap my brakes to signal those behind me that I/we may be slowing or stopping.
     
    
  • Always trying to be visible and to communicate my intentions to the rest of the vehicles I am sharing the road with. Remember, I said sharing the road.
     
    
  • Always being aware when I am moving through others' blind spots, and quickly re-establishing my visibility whenever possible.
     
    
  • ALWAYS holding a brake (to illuminate the brake light) when at a stop or a light, so that those coming up behind me can see that I am stopped. And keeping an eye on them to see that they actually are slowing to stop, as well!
  
   
  
• I will remind myself that even though my motorcycle can maneuver/stop more quickly than larger vehicles, by doing so if it's unnecessary, it can startle others on the road. This can cause others to drive in a less predictable manner, which puts me at a greater risk.
   
  
• I will ride no faster than I am comfortable riding. Remember CONTROL is paramount! I know that riding beyond my perceptual capabilities (over-riding my eyeballs) or beyond my riding ability is NOT riding with CONTROL.
   
  
• I will always strive to be PRO-ACTIVE when riding. If I find myself RE-ACTING instead, I will find a safe place to stop and RETHINK my riding strategy right away.
   
  
• I will ride only with those riders that I feel safe riding with.
   
  
• I will always ride with my "armor". (Don't leave home without it!)
   
  
• I will insure that I am physically, mentally, and emotionally prepared before each ride.
   
  
• I will only ride if I feel capable of riding properly and safely.
   
  
• I will only ride if I feel my motorcycle is in reliable mechanical condition.
   
  
• I will stop at each stop sign, and take the time I need, (no matter who is behind me) to be sure it is safe to proceed.
   
  
• I will clearly separate riding from those occasions where I am taking any alcohol/drugs. Alcohol/drugs and motorcycles do not mix any better than alcohol/drugs and firearms do.
   
  
• I will always resist any peer pressure from others to ride in any manner that I deem unsafe by reminding myself that reckless riding does not demonstrate capable riding skills.
   
  
• I will ride only when I feel like riding. If I do not feel like riding, I will not ride, no matter whose plans I upset.
   
  
• I will ALWAYS listen to and obey that Voice of Common Sense when riding my motorcycle, (and any other time it chooses to bless me with important info).
   
  
• I will make it my sole objective when riding to get to my destination in one piece, and enjoy myself while doing so.
   
  
• I will only obey traffic laws if I feel it is safer to do so. Better to survive to pay the ticket, than to die trying not to get one.
   
  
• I will remind myself that there are no guarantees that I will never have a problem on the road. But Acts of God are few and far between and not exactly foreseeable. However, statistics find that most accidents CAN be avoided if the rider chooses to apply pro-active riding strategies. So I will choose safety and use these tools so that I may live to ride again and again!