Importance of good braking - Mike Felder Insurance

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HOW IMPORTANT IS STOPPING?? by Mike Felder QUESTION #1...How many feet would you skid if you locked your rear brake at forty miles an hour? QUESTION #2...How many feet would you skid doing the same at sixty miles an hour? Before I give you the answers, here are some facts to help you answer these. 40 MPH is about 58 feet per second! 60 MPH is about 88 feet per second! Now, throw in a little reaction time. (After all, we're human.) 1/2 second at 40 MPH is about 30 feet. So, give this some thought as you read on. Improper braking could be the single largest cause of cycle accidents according to Richmond Motor Officer Mark Granko. "Most cyclist we see on the street have a tendency to ride more reactionary than anticipatory." What is anticipatory riding? "Constantly being aware of what is happening 4 to 5 cars in front of you. Seeing what might happen before having to just react to something that did happen. Basically, always being in control. Staying in either the left side of the lane or the right side. There is less oil in those parts of the lane and therefore give better traction." But being the most anticipatory rider will still come down to one thing...your ability to brake. The training program for most motor officers have one major test. It is what they call the De-Cel, short for de-acceleration. The test requires you to ride along at 40 MPH, in third gear, and wait for a signal. At that time, you have to stop, get the bike into first gear, and make a left hand turn. All with both feet on the pegs and within 80 feet. How hard is it? TRY IT! How important is it? If you cannot do it, you will fail the course. Regardless of how proficient you are in the remaining skills. How long does it take to learn how to do a De-cel? Ron Carmichael, who was trained by Granko, said he must have practiced the De-cel "hundreds of times." How does he feel about it? Carmichael credits the De-cel with 12 "saves" for him. What major item is learned in the De-cel? Use, and UNDERSTANDING, of the front brake. Both Granko and Carmichael agree that most riders will have a tendency to fall back on learned knowledge in a panic situation. For the majority of riders, that means using their foot to step on a brake pedal, as in a car. "I have watch riders riding around and using nothing but the rear brake for stopping, said Granko. It is in situations like that, that if the rider had to react to something, his ability to stop will be greatly reduced." Officer Carmichael recently was the reporting officer in an accident involving a motorcycle. The cyclist was not at fault. "Being not at fault in an accident brings little consolation to the rider when injuries still occur." The cyclist had the misfortune of having a car pull out wrongfully. The cyclist applied the brakes...hard. He skidded 115 feet. Estimated speed, in the area of 41 MPH. Damages...the cycle needs a whole new front end, wheel, tire, fender, windshield, gas tank, bags, instruments, and miscellaneous stuff like pegs, grips, mirrors, etc. The rider sustained injuries to his nose, ribs, and his leg....But he was in the right! I'm not sure that will bring any good feelings to him at this point. "The sad thing is that the whole accident could have been prevented if the cyclist knew how to brake correctly." Back to the questions. At 40 MPH, locking the rear brake could, as the above example shows, result in over 114 feet of skid. At 60 MPH, it could result in as much as 500 to 600! The interesting thing about a 60 mile per hour skid is the amount of friction is creates on your rear tire. There is enough friction and heat created that your rear tire could actually blow out. Needless to say, that would create an additional problem. The combination could easily result in an accident of some magnitude. Each owner's manual will have a table in it to show the braking capabilities of your cycle. Somewhere within this chart will be a statement resembling the following; "These test results were accomplished by skilled riders in a controlled situation." Or something to that effect. However, the distances shown can provide you with some knowledge as to the ability of your cycle to be stopped. Then you can test your own ability in stopping your cycle. Realize that you may be competing against some factory rider, in a completely controlled and perfect environment. But, you will have a realistic goal to shoot towards. The end result? Being able to stop when it becomes vital to your safety. After all, I rather have a "save" than being dead right!!

Information in this article is probably correct as of the date it was written. Please check with your insurance agent or call Mike at 800-729-2537 before you make any life changing decisions based on what you read here. Comments are always welcome.