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Common Road Hazards
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Road Hazards
By Tony BPerfect, dry roads exist only in a perfect world, and this is not a perfect world. Being prepared for the unexpected will make you a safer rider and will enable you to ride on many roads during most seasons of the year. Always use the “S.E.E.” (search, evaluate, execute) riding strategy as taught in the Motorcycle Safety Foundation courses. Here are some road conditions that you should be prepared to encounter:
Leaves on the
Road
Although Autumn is a beautiful time of year for riding, leaves
on the road can be potentially deadly for the inexperienced
rider.
A few leaves, when dry, are often nothing more than a light obstacle in the road, often blown around or away by the slightest breeze. However, when there are large piles of leaves in your path, you must be cautious; if you cannot view the road surface below the leaves, you do not know what you will encounter when riding over them. You should try to avoid riding over any hidden area of road surface, assuming that there is another portion of the road that can accommodate your bike. Maneuver to avoid a pile of leaves as you would to avoid any other road obstruction. Wet leaves are very slick. Slow down and proceed cautiously. Also avoid sharp leaning and quick braking. A road covered with wet leaves gives your tires very little to grip and you can easily get into an accident.
"Tar
Snakes"
Many road cracks are temporarily repaired by filling them
with tar. These long, narrow tracks are called "tar snakes"
and can be catastrophic for the unprepared
motorcyclist. In cold weather, they freeze faster than
the rest of the road surface and they stay frozen even when
the rest of the road has thawed. In hot weather, they
melt. When wet, they are more slippery than the surrounding
road surface. To make matters worse, some tar snakes are
thick and high.
You will encounter them everywhere you ride, so be prepared. You need to slow down before riding over them, especially if you are leaning a bike through a curve. If you have to brake on a road surface that is covered with tar snakes, be prepared to brake slowly, steadily, and use a longer distance to execute a total stop. Once stopped, be prepared to put your feet down on a potentially slippery road surface.
Pot Holes and
Puddles
Pot holes exist on many roads and, even if repaired, can
produce an uneven and dangerous road surface. You
should avoid riding over a pot hole as you would other road
hazard. You don't know how deep it is or what is in
it.
Puddles can be a deep pothole that has filled with water or
other liquids. Since you do not know the depth of a
puddle, you should avoid them as you would other road
hazards.
