A Motorcycle Safety Course Accident?

Yes, a student rider had a motorcycle safety course accident. On the last day of my Motorcycle Safety Course, we rode around covering the basics we performed during the first riding day. What was added was emergency-stopping.

What Motorcycle Accident, What Happened?

We already learned how to make regular turns, but emergency stops were added to our newest lesson.

We were turning; while looking through the turn, we could see the instructor. When he gave the signal, we were to straighten the bike and safely apply the brakes.

This emergency stop-on-a-turn exercise was a valuable lesson since turns often present unseen dangers. Braking while turning will dump the motorcycle and the rider.

It appears this is what happened. The rider applied the front brakes without straightening the bike upright and was spiked downward. It seemed to be bad at first.

Was the Motorcycle Rider Hurt In The Accident?

Hurt no.

Shakened up, yes.

My classmate was quick to his feet and was picking up his motorcycle asap. From a distance, he recovered fast and appeared unharmed.

How Was The Motorcycle Rider Not Hurt?

The rider who fell went out and got good motorcycle riding equipment.

He had a motorcycle-specific jacket and an excellent quality helmet. His jacket was leather and had armor on the shoulders and elbows. When you saw him close up, his protective equipment worked well.

Afterward, he complained of no pain, but his motorcycle riding leather jacket had scraps and deep scratches. His helmet had some deep scratches and an area missing paint.

Remember ATGATT!

Can This Happen In A Motorcycle Safety Course?

Well, this is where we should make our errors. Under the guidance of an instructor, in a closed course, and at appropriate speeds.

Were There Any Motorcycle Safety Lessons Learned?

For Me, YES!

The fall was too fast for me to see at my angle(more like a blur from a simple slow-speed turn), and I did see my classmate on the ground and quickly recovered.

Other students told me the complete details of the accident, and I could see the damage to his motorcycle jacket and helmet.

I got to see how even low-speed maneuvers can release a lot of energy into the rider during an accident and the value of good quality motorcycle riding equipment.

The motorcycle riding jacket( Wear A Motorcycle Jacket All The Time? ) and helmet were very nice, far beyond in cost to my Walmart helmet and CycleGear store clearance gloves I purchased and the sweat jacket and jeans solution I came up with for this class.

Did I Have A Motorcycle Accident Too?

Yes. I had a problem, too, with using the front brake before the motorcycle was completely upright.

The bike fell, and I jumped off.

My accident was more comical looking and resulted in no injury. Like I was launched off the bike.

Little did I know the launch was the bike imparting energy into my movement, why falling off a motorcycle can result in more injuries than just falling from a standing position.

The body was OK, but the ego was injured. In hindsight, if I did strike the ground, my clothing would have provided almost no impact protection, and my helmet only met minimal rider protection requirements, DOT-certified.

Conclusion:
I plan on investing in better motorcycle protective equipment: a real motorcycle riding jacket with motorcycle impact armor, pants, and gloves. Real motorcycle-focused boots and upgrade my current motorcycle helmet too.

Ride Safe, Ride Fun!