Top Tips for Staying Safe on Your Moped
Mopeds may be nippy little things and heaps of fun to ride but they are also motorised machines that run on public highways. They may only do 30mph but the car that crashes into you could very well be doing 90mph or even more in some cases. You can’t control other road users’ actions but you can stay as safe as possible by controlling your own…and hopefully you’ll stay out of harm's way for the duration of your moped-owning days.
Tip No 1: Buy a decent crash helmet
Your crash helmet is possibly the most important piece of equipment you’ll ever buy to go with your moped. It can be the difference between living and dying so make sure you don’t skimp on the price to save a few quid. Go to a registered moped dealer or a specialist bike shop and have a helmet fitted, simply so you know it will do the job it’s designed to do should you be involved in an accident.
Don’t under any circumstances buy a second hand crash helmet. If it has been involved in an accident before it will have lost a lot of its protective capabilities, but you won’t know this until it is your head it’s supposed to be protecting.
Tip No 2: Be protected
You may think that coming off a moped at 30mph isn’t going to do much damage but sadly you’d be wrong. People who have crashed while wearing ‘civilian’ clothing such as jeans, jumper, thin jacket etc. have suffered all manner of serious injuries, many of which involve leaving skin attached to the tarmac.
For this reason it is well worth investing in leather or Kevlar clothing. You may think this a bit OTT for a moped but when it comes to the possibility of falling off it is better to be safe than sorry. At the very least you should consider a jacket, a pair of trousers and gloves.
Tip No 3: Be seen
Moped riders (and indeed scooter and motorbike riders) are often just blurry figures in the corner of a car driver’s eye. This in anybody’s book spells out danger so you need to do whatever you can to be seen, regardless of whether it’s the middle of the day or the dead of night.
It is advisable to wear fluorescent clothing at all times and if you can find one you should also consider a really colourful helmet (yes you may feel a bit silly but you will be noticed!). Even a basic fluorescent vest or jacket is better than nothing, and needless to say absolutely essential for night time riding. It also helps to use dipped headlights at all times so make this one of the first things you do when starting on a journey.
Tip No 4: Use every bit of road sense you possess
As mentioned above, moped riders often go unnoticed by car drivers so you need to ride defensively with the constant thought that you aren’t going to be seen. Expect the unexpected at all times and be ready to break at very short notice. Position yourself in the middle of a lane at junctions or at roundabouts and make good use of the road space you are entitled to. Always be alert and hopefully you’ll always remain safe.
Tip No 5: Maintain your moped in good condition
A growing percentage of moped accidents occur because of badly maintained bikes. It is your responsibility as a moped owner to keep your bike in a road-worthy condition, so make sure you check the following on a regular basis:
Lights – they should all obviously work,
Mirrors and windshield – should be free from cracks and clean,
Brakes – these should stop you quickly and effectively. If they don’t you should check the brake fluid and maybe schedule new brake pads,
Tyres – both tyres need to be in good condition with a minimum tread depth of 1.5mm. you should also check that your tyre pressures are as they should be,
Oil levels – this is pretty self explanatory,
Horn – you never know when you may need it to signal you’re there!
So, if you follow the five fab tips given above you should be able to keep yourself out of trouble with your moped. Again, you can’t control the actions of other road users but if you do as much as you can to stay safe then there’s a good chance you’ll avoid becoming a statistic.
