Bikers - Do You Know When to Brake or Swerve?

Motorbike riding is one of the greatest pleasures in life but with more traffic on the roads there are a lot more hazardous obstacles to face. For this reason it’s important to have the skills and knowledge to deal with hazardous situations as well as comprehensive motorbike insurance cover should the worst happen.

One of the most common dangerous situations a biker has to deal with is the appearance of sudden obstacles that leave very little time to assess the situation. These obstacles can include road vehicles, pedestrians and wild animals.
This article is intended to give you the right advice in advance of such situations so your brain will be prepared for a fast response when faced with this possible life threatening dilemma.
When a biker is confronted with this situation, his or her primary options are to attempt to brake to a stop or swerve around the obstacle. Which decision you choose in avoiding the accident is based on physics of movement (kinematics).
Based on experimental data and published accident investigations we can plan the required distance to brake and the distance to swerve. As braking distance increases by the amplification of speed, we draw the following conclusions:

When travelling between 0 to 50 MPH (give or take 5 miles depending on road conditions and rider skills) braking is the best option whilst when travelling at speeds in excess of 50 MPH, the braking distance increases and therefore swerving becomes the better option.
Since both braking and swerving are manoeuvre's based on the law of physics, we can generally conclude at slower speeds, braking is the better accident-avoidance manoeuvre, while at faster speeds, swerving is the better option.

It’s always advised and compulsory by UK and other country laws to have bike insurance in the event of accident, damage or injury to you or third party members. Biker Paul is a keen biker and knows the importance of motorcycle Insurance.