Alabama Motorcycle: Practice test

Open up your following distance if your motorcycle will require a longer distance than normal to stop. Additionally, if you are riding in heavy traffic or if you cannot see through the vehicle in front of you, you should also increase your following distance.

Longterm exposure to wind and engine noise can cause permanent hearing damage, even if the rider is wearing a full-face helmet. Wearing ear plugs or other hearing protection can guard against damage while still allowing the wearer to hear important sounds like horns and sirens.

There are several strategies you can use to prevent someone from riding their motorcycle while impaired. You can arrange another way for them to get home, involve them in other activities to slow the pace of their drinking, use any available excuse to stop them from leaving before they are sober, and get other friends involved to intervene as a group.

If your drive chain or belt fails, you will experience an immediate loss of power to the rear wheel.

Gloves made of leather, or another durable material, should be worn when riding. They will provide you with an improved grip on the handgrips, as well as help protect your hands in the event of a crash.

When following a car, you should ride in a position that allows the driver to see you in their rearview mirror. Usually, that means riding in the center portion of the lane. Because most drivers check their rearview mirrors much more often than they check their side mirrors, being in this lane position increases the chance that they will see you.

No matter the speed, riders who are not wearing helmets are three times more likely to die from head injuries than riders who are wearing helmets at the time of a crash.

If you cannot avoid hitting an obstacle in the roadway, you should try to hit it at as close to a 90-degree angle as possible. Slow down as much as you can before contact, keep your motorcycle upright, rise slightly off of your seat, and roll the throttle slightly to lighten the front end just before impact.

Always use both brakes any time you slow or stop. It is safe to use the front brake, which is more powerful than the rear brake, as long as you use it properly.