Can Riding Slower Than The Traffic Be Dangerous?

We all know that excessive speed, and also riding at a speed that is inappropriate for the conditions or our skill level, is a major contributing factor in many motorcycle crashes. But what about travelling below the speed of the surrounding traffic - is that dangerous too? Can you put yourself at risk by travelling too slowly?

Well, the short answer is a very definite “yes”.

Now before I get too far into this let me make two things very clear….

Firstly, I am not suggesting that we should ever ride faster than a speed that we are comfortable with and that allows us to ride safely within our limits while taking into account the type of road we are on and its condition, the potential hazards, visibility (as in how far we can see ahead) and the weather conditions. These considerations are vital in giving us a safety buffer should we come across anything unexpected like an obstacle on the road or if we misread a corner.

And I’m certainly not suggesting anyone ever exceed the speed limit - so don’t use this post as an excuse if you get caught speeding.

The second thing I want to make clear is that I know that speed is not necessarily a factor in every crash, and other factors are often responsible.

So having said all that, let’s move on.

The scenario …

We’ve all been stuck behind a slow moving car or truck, and I’m sure you can remember at some stage feeling frustrated by it. I could almost guarantee that you would have wanted to get around it as quickly as possible and at the very first opportunity you did. Some people would take unacceptable risks in trying to get around the slower vehicle - and I’m not saying you would do this but I bet you know someone who would, right?

What if this is happening on a windy road where the driver of a car coming up behind you at a closing speed of maybe 20-30km/h simply can’t see you around the curve?

Ok, so now reverse the picture and place yourself on a motorcycle. A car or truck will pretty much block the entire lane but a motorcycle doesn’t. So think about that frustrated person that you might know sitting behind you and imagine the type of risk they’d take to get around you, possibly even squeezing down the lane beside you and putting you and other road users at risk. Or overtaking you on a twisty country road where you can’t see clearly beyond the curve only 50 metres away. Getting the picture?

Then there’s another factor. A motorcycle, because it’s small in comparison to other vehicles, often isn’t as visible. If you have a motorcycle travelling at a speed slower than the average traffic flow, not as visible, and other vehicles closing on it at a greater speed then you have another dangerous situation. Some road users may not even be considering that there may be a motorcycle ahead of them. Imagine the chaos of a postie bike travelling down the M1 motorway - don’t laugh, I saw it happen a few weeks ago!

Now consider another scenario. What if this is happening on a windy road where the driver of a car coming up behind you at a closing speed of maybe 20-30km/h simply can’t see you around the curve? He could be over the top of you before he even realised you were there.

So why do we find riders in this situation? And if you find yourself in the situation what can you do about it?

The motorcycle won’t go any faster …

This generally only applies to machines like the famous 50cc moped that is speed limited to 50km/h, and to older small capacity bikes that are still able to be legally ridden on our roads. Obviously small capacity fun bikes for children should not be able to reach normal traffic speeds but shouldn’t be on the road anyway.

Well maintained modern motorcycles though, even learner models, should be quite capable of staying up with the general traffic flow.  But if you find your motorcycle isn’t capable of keeping up with the traffic flow on the motorway, for example, then the smartest thing to do is to avoid the situation totally. Please don’t put yourself in the situation of that postie bike rider on the M1!

Distorted perception of speed …

Often we find that the speed we think we are doing is different to the speed we are actually doing, especially for people who drive cars and ride bikes as well. Some people feel they are travelling faster on a motorcycle than they actually are, most likely because they are not surrounded by the familiar surroundings of their car and can see the road more clearly.

Personally, I feel like I’m travelling slower than I actually am when I’m riding the bike, probably because I get used to driving the noisy 7 year old Astra! When I get on the bike I have to consciously re-train myself to perceive the speed I’m travelling at correctly. A good way to do this is to think of the speed you are doing and notice how it “feels”, and then glance at the speedo to see what speed you are actually doing. Over a period of time, and actually fairly quickly, you will associate the perceived road speed to the actual road speed more accurately.

A word of warning - don’t try this in the middle of a corner!!!! Do it on a straight stretch of road.

Not looking far enough ahead …

Another factor that affects our perception of our road speed is how far we are looking ahead. If you’re looking down at the road 3 metres in front of you then it will seem like you are travelling a lot faster than if you’re looking further ahead.

As a rider, or even as a driver, you should be looking as far ahead as possible and scanning the upcoming stretch of road. This gives our brain more time to process the information and, if there is a hazard ahead, far more time to respond to the situation. Doing this will also help you to better prepare for corners, improve the way you flow through them and take the “fright factor” out of your cornering. And it all adds to you becoming a safer and more confident rider.

Lack of confidence …

Which brings us to confidence. A lack of confidence in your motorcycle, or in your riding skills, can be a big issue as well. Let’s consider the motorcycle first.

I think it’s fair to say that most of us will never come close to being able to ride any well maintained road worthy modern motorcycle to the limit of its capabilities. I’ll put that another way - what a modern motorcycle is capable of far exceeds our abilities as a rider. There are very few Casey Stoners in this world, and the road is no place to try to be one anyway. So this means that you can feel confident that the bike is not going to crash unless you make it crash.

A lack of confidence in your motorcycle, or in your riding skills, can be a big issue..

There are very few, if any, motorcycles available on the market that are likely to throw you off because they have bad handling or an unsafe and unpredictable engine. We, as riders, can make them that way by altering the motorcycle from its original designed and intended condition (like playing with suspension settings without knowing what you’re actually doing) or by the way we ride it, and that comes back to training and our skill level.

As for tyres, once again we can have confidence in tyres that are currently available to us. If the tyres on your bike are worn, old, cracked, or in any way damaged replace them. You can have total confidence that a good set of quality tyres inflated to the correct pressures will be predictable and have good grip levels. If you find yourself in a slide don’t blame the tyres - look at what you did and what you rode through!

So we can feel confident in our well maintained motorcycle and the tyres that keep it glued to the road. That really only leaves one thing, and that’s our ability as a rider to control the whole package safely.

If you find yourself out on the road feeling frightened or doubting your ability as a rider then I could understand totally that you would want to ride as slowly as you can, but as we’ve said this may not be riding as safely as you can.

And your confidence in yourself will only improve with experience and by constantly practicing and improving your roadcraft skills. One of the best ways to do this is to take part in advanced rider training courses.

Defensive or advanced rider training courses will take you into a controlled environment where you can learn to improve your skills and practice them in total safety. Typically they are run at specialised facilities, and in the Brisbane / Gold Coast area that could be the Mt Cotton Driver Training Centre or Queensland Raceway. Don’t be put off by the thought that you may find yourself out on a “track”, because it doesn’t mean you have to go “fast” and it’s actually the safest place to learn. It takes away all the distractions of being on the road with other vehicles and hazards, and allows you to focus just on yourself and your own learning.

And because you’re circulating over the same piece of road every couple of minutes it gives you the chance to practice the same skill over and over until you feel confident that you have it right.

Roadcraft courses are great too, and will often take you on a carefully planned road based course in small numbers with a qualified instructor. An example of this type of training is the SMART program run by the Gold Coast City Council.

So there you have it, a long winded but hopefully information packed rundown. One last thing ….

And the day you think you know it all as a rider is the day you should hang up your helmet.

It is always your responsibility to ride at a speed that you feel confident and safe, and at a speed that you know you can control the bike no matter what comes across your path. NEVER feel pressured to keep up with other riders if you don’t feel safe doing it, it’s och to be the last rider in a group as long as you get to your destination safely.

But if you find yourself travelling much slower than the speed of the other vehicles around you then I hope this article has helped you to realise the potential risks and what you can do to make yourself safer out there. And remember, that if you find yourself in this situation you are NOT a bad rider, you simply have more to learn. And the day you think you know it all as a rider is the day you should hang up your helmet.

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