Lifestyle

5 Tips for Avoiding Motorcycle Accidents

Published

3 months ago

July 4, 2021

As a motorcyclist, you’re 29-times more likely to be involved in a deadly road accident than individuals in other vehicles. Devastating injuries are even more common. But if you know how to avoid certain risk factors, you can increase your safety.

Lower Your Risk With These 5 Tips

It’s impossible to know just how exhilarating it is to ride if you’ve never done it before. Until someone has actually hopped on a motorcycle and taken it for a drive on the open road, there’s no way to understand the appeal. But as you know, motorcycling can also be quite dangerous.

According to the NHTSA, “Per vehicle miles traveled in 2019, motorcyclists were about 29 times more likely than passenger vehicle occupants to die in a motor vehicle crash and were 4 times more likely to be injured.”

The elevated risk factor can be tied to numerous elements, but is mostly due to the fact that motorcycles are much smaller than the average vehicle on the road. This makes them (a) less visible to drivers, and (b) more vulnerable in collisions.

When accidents do occur, the results can be devastating. This Charleston motorcycle accident lawyer has seen it all. This includes spinal cord trauma, disc injuries, paralysis, TBIs, broken bones, nerve damage, internal organ damage, and everything in between.

Want to enjoy motorcycling without so much risk? Here are a few tips to put into practice.

Wear the Right Gear

Motorcycle gear doesn’t just look cool – it serves a purpose! Safety is paramount, and the right gear can quite literally save your life.

It doesn’t matter how much gear you own. If you aren’t wearing it every time you hop on your bike, you’re putting yourself at risk. Always remember the old ATGATT acronym, which states All the Gear, All the Time. Here’s a list of some good gear to consider adding to your motorcycle “wardrobe.”

Avoid Bad Weather

Bad weather does nothing but heighten the risk of being involved in an accident. Anytime there’s rain, snow, or ice, the risk of sliding around a turn increases. As a general rule of thumb, avoid bad weather. If you need to go somewhere, a standard motor vehicle is the safer option.

Be Wary of Left Turning Vehicles

Roughly 4 out of 10 accidents involving a motorcycle and a car are caused by a vehicle making a left-hand turn in front of the motorcycle. Typically, the turning car hits the motorcycle when it’s going straight through an intersection, passing the car, and/or trying to overtake the car.

If you want to reduce your risk of being injured or killed in a motorcycle crash, there are a few things you can do:

Always look for indicators that a vehicle is about to turn
Keep your eyes on a vehicle’s wheels to see if they’re moving and/or turning
Always assume that a driver does not see you (and consider your bailout point in case the vehicle does turn)

Intersections are definitely the most dangerous part of any drive. If possible, avoid major intersections and stick to interstates and backroads.

Keep Your Head on a Swivel

When driving a motorcycle, you don’t have the luxury of being encased in a steel cage that can provide protection in a collision. If a vehicle strikes you, the consequences are serious. And it’s for this reason that you must always keep your head on a swivel.

In addition to looking both ways before going through an intersection, we recommend always taking a glance behind you prior to stopping at a stop sign or red light. (Being struck from behind is fairly common.) If making a sudden stop, move to one side of the lane and rapidly flash your brake lights to draw attention to yourself.

Perform Regular Maintenance

Don’t wait until something breaks to work on your bike. Regular preventative maintenance is a must if you want your motorcycle to run in excellent (and safe) condition. Be particularly mindful of the engine, brakes, tires, headlamps, and turn signals.

Stay Safe on Your Bike

Anytime you hop on your bike and go cruising, there’s always a risk that you could be injured or killed. (However, to be totally transparent, that same risk exists for any driver of a motor vehicle.) The key is to reduce this risk by maintaining smart habits. Once you implement some of the tips mentioned in this article, you’ll instantly feel much higher peace of mind.

Lifestyle

Why Kareem Hassan believes self-employment is the key to true freedom

Published

4 days ago

September 23, 2021

Michelle Langton

To those working a 9-to-5, self-employment often presents itself as a daunting choice; there is a considerable risk involved but, at the same time, a lot of freedom to be enjoyed. On the other hand, freelancers and entrepreneurs also have to deal with ‘clients from hell’ at times, making them question whether self-employment was the right choice. According to Kareem Hassan, whatever be your view of being your own boss, you cannot deny the freedom that comes along with it. Here, he explains why he believes self-employment is the key to true freedom.

Kareem Hassan runs a 3D printing service and trades collectibles, which have catapulted him into immeasurable success. From early on, Kareem knew that he wanted to be his own boss; he wasn’t cut out for the 9-to-5 grind. Fueled by his passion for entrepreneurship, he began working to create a business where he could truly love and enjoy what he does.

True success to Kareem means freedom, both financial and time. It also means the freedom to be able to share your knowledge with others and to do what you want, when you want. In addition to running his business, Kareem Hassan has also ventured into creating digital art and investing in NFTs. He says that all this would not have been possible had he been working a regular 9-to-5. Instead, he would be stuck doing the same tasks with minimal returns and an even lower growth ceiling.

Another reason why Kareem Hassan vouches for self-employment is that it enables you to retire early. According to Hassan, being your own boss gives you the freedom to stop when you think you’ve accumulated enough wealth and secured enough investments. Once you achieve what you want and have your financial future secured, you can retire from work and pursue anything you want in life.

When he first got started, Kareem Hassan was not sure where this journey would lead him, but he had a firm conviction to see it to the end. He dropped out of college after two years to take care of his family. He began by investing the little he had in collectibles like comic books, rare items, trading cards, and toys. Seeing an opportunity when the popularity of comic books regained momentum in pop culture, Kareem jumped at it and established his business.

According to Kareem, besides success, freedom is the greatest thing about self-employment. Your time is your most valuable asset, and having time freedom is like having a blank canvas; you can fill it with anything you want and create magic. Knowing this, Kareem Hassan says that he wouldn’t trade that freedom for anything. He also points out that self-employment lets you choose the people you surround yourself with and create diverse networks.

Even as he explains these benefits, Kareem Hassan cautions people against assuming that self-employment is the easy way out. In fact, the entrepreneurial journey can be one of the toughest roads to travel, but it is also worth every sleepless night. Moreover, working at something you are passionate about gives you a broader view of everything, making it easier to navigate these challenges.

Despite the challenges of entrepreneurship, Kareem Hassan says that being your own boss is so much better than working for someone else. “When done right, self-employment allows you to live your dream life,” he concludes.