As the weather gets warmer outside most motorcycle riders are beginning to ride more often. Now is the best time to review your motorcycle insurance to make sure you are properly covered! In addition, please take note of the below important safety tips to keep you safe on the road!

Nine out of 10 motorcycle accidents involve untrained riders. When you’re controlling this much force, it’s essential to have complete command of your machine. More than 90% of riders involved in accidents haven’t taken a formal motorcycle driving course.

Know your bike’s capabilities – how it performs in a curve or on slick roads and how quickly it can stop. Errors like overbraking, driving too fast or undercornering are major factors in many solo accidents.

Most insurance companies offer discounts to riders who attend the Motorcycle Safety Foundation’s safe riding courses or are active in one of the 25 approved groups that promote safe riding. Do both those things and you can reduce your premium significantly!

In a crash, the SUV wins. When cars and motorcycles collide, it’s usually because the driver of the car failed to see the cyclist. With more SUV’s on the road, it’s even more critical to take extra steps to become more visible. Use your headlamps – both night and day – and wear yellow, red, or orange jackets to make yourself easy to see. Make a point of positioning yourself in your lane of visibility.

Remember: Ride sober. Driving impaired is more deadly for bikers than other drivers. In fact, more than half of all motorcycle deaths occur when the rider has been drinking.

No one’s too old to wear a helmet. A motorcycle rider not wearing a helmet is five times more likely to sustain a critical head injury in a crash. Buy a full-faced helmet for the best protection for your head and eyes. Wear other protective gear as well: heavy leather or synthetic gloves, long pants and jacket and over-the-ankle leather boots.

This advice applies to ALL riders – not just teenagers learning to ride! Today, more than 44% of all fatal motorcycle accidents involve riders in their 40′s. That’s three times higher than a decade ago.