Information from the International Motorcycle Safety Conference '90 that you can use right now.

Driving a car makes you a safer motorcyclist, possibly because it lets you understand the enemy.

Age and experience make you a safer rider, although experts disagree on which factor is more important.

You are in greater danger in urban areas than out on the road, even though you may be traveling faster in a rural area.

Many riders put on a helmet for a ride in the country but don't bother when riding around town. The facts suggest this is contrary to what they should be doing.

Drinking and riding, not surprisingly, is even more dangerous than drinking and driving a car.

Other motorists usually can't see you as well as you think they can. Vehicles and objects frequently block you partially or completely from view. In addition, many drivers have not learned to look for and identify motorcyclists. Making yourself and your bike as conspicuous as possible will help you to avoid the other guy.

"If you're on your bike at night, wear white," says an old Rolling Stones song. It's still true 25 years later. White also makes you very visible during the day. Black is a poor choice but not as bad as olive drab.

For the same reasons you should be conspicuous, you also should learn evasive techniques: braking swerving, staying in the right gear for maximum acceleration. Developing the judgment to use these techniques properly is even more difficult but just as critical.

Lane position is also an important avoidance technique and may be more vital than braking in some situations. Basically, you should move yourself away from any potential threats before they violate your right-of-way.

While rider training equips you with the essentials or sharpens an experienced rider's skills, it still leaves a lot to learn. At the moment, the statistics that are available don't promise the trained rider a huge survival advantage. Experience, judgment, a sober mind, conspicuity and a mature attitude are your best protection against accident involvement.

Helmets work, and they don't cause neck or other injuries. There is no indication that they interfere with control or perception. Riders who wear helmets are simply much less likely to sustain head injuries.

Even though one paper questioned the effectiveness of chin bars for protection, all other experts, including those who have done much more extensive studies, believe that chin bars with EPS foam offer important additional protection. In general, the more a helmet covers, the more real protection it offers. As Harry Hurt, who has done more independent research than anybody in this area, remarked: "Don't worry if you are wearing a helmet with a chin bar. Worry if you're not."

When buying a helmet, you should fasten in properly, then see if it can be rolled off your head by pulling up and forward at the rear.

It is difficult for a helmet to meet both the Snell and D.O.T. standards. Some helmets that claim to meet both actually meet neither, although this probably is not too important to buyers unless they are paying a premium to get the Snell label.

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A cheapo $70 helmet offers protection very close to what you get from a $300 helmet with similar coverage.
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Glasses and dentures might amplify the injuries sustained when you receive a facial impact.

If you're a frequent passenger and want to be a better one, take a Motorcycle Rider Course.