Imagine being invisible.
You'd be pretty careful walking down the street - or crossing the street - because all those people who didn't see would be perfectly likely to walk right into you or run you down.
You would probably devise a scheme for staying out of their way, selecting a path or a particular section of the sidewalk that most people don't use.
Above all else, you would be on total alert all the time as to who is doing what and going which direction all around you.
Welcome to the world of motorcycling.
One of the best safety tips you can take to heart is this: Ride as if you are invisible.
And why is that such good advice? Because, in the case of a lot of drivers, you are.
There is a reason why the most common explanation given by drivers who have hit motorcyclists is, "I didn't see him.
" It's because they didn't.
For all intents and purposes, those motorcyclists were invisible.
As to why the drivers don't see motorcycles, there are a number of explanations.
In far too many cases it's a simple matter that the driver was distracted, whether by their kids screaming, their focus on trying to dial their cellphone, or any of a thousand possibilities.
It's their fault and there's no excuse for it.
Or, if they pulled into the bike's lane as it was running along or passing them, it is probably because they did not turn their head to check their blind spot.
A quick check of the mirror is not enough when motorcycles are small enough to totally disappear in a driver's blind spot.
Once again, it's their fault.
In other cases it's not that simple.
While it may be hard for a driver pulling out onto a main road to miss a biker on a big bagger, such as Kawasaki's Vulcan 1700 Voyager, if you're on a little Ninja 250R sportbike you've got just a small, thin profile that can easily be hidden at a crucial moment by another vehicle or you can even just blend in with the background.
There's a video used in Motorcycle Safety Foundation training courses that shows a street scene where the bike in the scene is almost impossible to spot, even when you know it's there and you're looking for it.
In cases like that it's hard to assign full blame to the driver who pulls out in front of that rider because they didn't see him.
The point, of course, is that it doesn't matter who is to blame.
You're going to be just as injured and your bike just as wrecked regardless of who screwed up.
Which is why you want to make sure the crash doesn't occur in the first place.
And how do you do that? By riding as if you are invisible.
For instance, when you must pass through a driver's blind spot, do so quickly and watch them closely in the seconds the pass requires.
Sometimes you'll see the driver check their mirror and you'll know you need to take evasive maneuvers fast.
Other times you'll just see the car moving over.
If you're prepared for this you'll take evasive action much more quickly than if you're not paying attention, and your chances of avoiding the crash are much better.
Position yourself in the lane where you have the best view to see what's going on around you and where you are most noticeable to others.
If you're approaching an intersection behind another vehicle, understand that that car in the cross lane may not see you.
Move over so they can see you, slow down so you'll have more time to react if they do pull out in front of you, and be prepared to react as necessary.
There are any number of strategies you can and should use to ensure your own safety, too many to list here, particularly considering so many of them are so dependent on the situation at the moment.
Use your common sense to recognize what they are.
You know that's what you would do if you were truly invisible.
Play a game of pretend and ensure that you have a fun, safe ride.